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CLEYELAND'S VOYAGES. 




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i1 






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M 



NARRATIYE 



OP 



VOYAGES 



AND 



COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES, 



Bf 



EICHAKD J. CLEVELAND. 



THIRD EDITION. 



WITH ILLUSTEATIONS BY BILLINGS. 



BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED BY CHARLES H. PEIRCE. 

1850. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by 

Richard J- Cleveland, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachnsetts. 



Stereotyped and Printed by 

George C. Rand & CompanTj 

No. 3 Cornhill, Boston. 



PREFACE. 




character of the citizens of New England 
for enterprise and industry, is very generally 
acknowledged. Being for the most part obliged 
to seek their own fortunes, they are thus early 
accustomed to the endurance of privations, 
and to those industrious and frugal habits, 
which lead to competence and wealth. In the 
pursuit of that independence of which all are 
more or less desirous, there have been instances of 
daring enterprise, of persevering determination, of 
disregard of fatigue and suffering, which are very 
remarkable ; but which pass unobserved from their 
•frequency, no less than from the unobtrusive habits of 
the actors. 

A simple account of such enterprises, drawn from journals 
and letters written at the time the events therein related 
occurred, is here given to the public. 

More than forty-five years have elapsed since the first of 
the voyages here narrated was undertaken ; and more than 
twenty since the completion of the last. It is apparent that 

they possess but in a small degree, the power to interest, that 

7 



PREFACE. 



would have been excited, had they been published at the 
period of their performance ; yet this delay in their publica- 
tion may, on some considerations, enhance their value. It 
may be interesting to the young merchant to trace .some of 
the great revolutions in the commerce of the world, which 
have occurred within the above-named periods ; and those of 
advanced age may be induced to recur to by-gone days, 
with pleasing, even if accompanied with melancholy associa- 
tions. 

For several years preceding the date of the first of my 
voyages, the merchants of the United States, and particu- 
larly those of Salem, carried on an active and lucrative 
commerce with the Isles of France and Bourbon, which was 
continued up to the period of the conquest of those islands 
by the British, since which it has nearly ceased. That im- 
portant product of our country, cotton, which is now its 
greatest and most valuable article of export, employing a 
greater amount of tonnage than any other, was then un- 
known as an article of export from the United States ; and 
the little required for the consumption of our domestic fa- 
brics was imported from Demerara, Surinam, and the West 
India Islands. The trade to the JSforthwest Coast of Amer- 
ica, which for about twenty-five years was actively and al- 
most exclusively pursued from Boston, on an extensive scale, 
and to great advantage, has for some years been abandoned, 
from the scarcity and high price of furs, caused by the 
competition of the Russians, who have gradually advanced 
their posts far to the south of those places where my cargo 
was collected; and where they were not then seen. The 
sealing voyages, which were prosecuted most actively from 



PREFACE. 9 

New Haven, Norwich, and Stonington, principally to the 
Island of Masafuera, and by which sudden and large for- 
tunes were made, have, for many years past, been produc- 
tive of little comparative advantage to the few yet engaged 
in them ; and this in consequence of the animal's being 
almost annihilated. 

Our cargoes from China, which were formerly paid for in 
these furs, and in Spanish dollars, are now procured for 
bills on England, for opium, and for European and Ameri- 
can fabrics. The cotton and silk manufactures of Indostan 
constituted formerly, almost exclusively, the cargoes of our 
ships from Calcutta, which were paid for in Spanish dol- 
lars, and which generally yielded large profits. At this time 
our cotton fabrics are so much better and cheaper, as en- 
tirely to have superseded the importation of those ; and most 
of the articles which now compose a cargo from Calcutta, 
excepting saltpetre and bandanas, were then scarcely known 
there, as articles of export to this country. Bills on Eng- 
land in payment for these cargoes, as well as for those 
laden at other ports of India, have been substituted for 
Spanish dollars, which formerly were indispensable to the 
prosecution of this trade. 

When I first visited the ports of Brazil, of Chili, of Peru, 
of Mexico, and of California, they had been for ages, and 
were then, so exclusively used for their own respective flags, 
that the admittance of one of a foreign nation was granted 
only on the most palpable evidence of a necessity, which it 
would be inhuman not to relieve. When admitted, no indi- 
vidual belonging to the vessel was permitted to land, or to 
walk the streets of the city, without the disagreeable incum- 



10 PREFACE. 

brance of a soldier following him ; hence the difficulty of 
obtaining information, and consequently the meagre accounts 
given of the manners and customs of those nations. 

The revolutions in those countries which have been effect- 
ed with so much individual distress, and so great loss of 
life, though far from having produced the prosperity and hap- 
piness anticipated by their most enlightened patriots, have 
nevertheless caused their ports to be thrown open for the 
admission of the flags of all nations. This has afforded op- 
portunities to strangers for visiting them, which have been 
abundantly improved ; and the numerous and elaborate ac- 
counts of them which have been given to the world, within 
a few years, by literary men, who possessed the requisite 
leisure and opportunity for the purpose, seemed to obviate 
the necessity of my attempting to enlarge on those subjects. 
The same reason forbade the attempt at more than cursory 
and passing descriptions of countries, cities, customs, and 
manners in other parts of the globe, visited by me for ob- 
jects exclusively of a commercial character. 

Equally, if not even more remarkable than the changes 
above mentioned, are those observable at the Sandwich 
Islands, since my first visit there in the year 1799. Then 
the inhabitants were but little elevated from the barbarous 
state in which they were found by Captain Cook ; now they 
are comparatively a civilized people, sensible of the value of 
instruction, and eager to obtain it ; cultivating their fields, 
and, by an extended and increasing foreign trade, afford- 
ing a most remarkable instance of the ameliorating and hu- 
manizing effects of commerce. 

In these days of philanthropy, when there are so many 



PREFACE, 11 

zealous advocates and active promoters of the greai and 
truly benevolent cause of temperance, it is proper and oe- 
coming in every well wisher to the advancement of this 
cause, to aid it in every way in his power. "With such 
impressions, and with the favorable opportunity now present- 
ed, I should consider it reprehensible to withhold from the 
public a statement of facts relating to myself personally, 
and which no other consideration than the hope of doing 
good, would induce me to make, although they may be viewed 
by many as not the least extraordinary of the facts which 
have been narrated. 

I am not, nor have I ever been a member of a tem- 
perance society; but I was a practical temperance man long 
before such societies were dreamed of. At the period when 
I began my nautical career, it was a universally received 
maxim, that drinking grog and chewing tobacco were two 
essential and indispensable requisites for making a good sea- 
man. So omnipotent is custom, and so powerful is satire, 
that although the absurdity of such a maxim must be appa- 
rent to every one, I have, nevertheless, seen many young 
men repeatedly made sick before overcoming the disgust, 
and some of them afterwards became miserable drunkards. 
As alcohol and tobacco were in no degree less offensive to 
me than I had evidence of their being to my associates, it 
appeared to me that to submit to the ridicule rather than 
to the sickness, was selecting the least of the evils, and I 
acted accordingly. 

Those who may honor me with a perusal of my narrative 
will perceive, that I have navigated to all parts of the 
world, from the sixtieth degree of south latitude, to the six- 



12 PREFACE. 

tieth degree north ; and sometimes in vessels "whose dimimi" 
tive size and small number of men caused exposure to wet 
and cold, greatly surpassing what is usually experienced in. 
ships of ordinary capacity; that I have been exposed to the 
influence of the most unhealthy places ; at Batavia, where I 
have seen whole crews prostrate with the fever, and death 
making havoc among them; at San Bias, where the na- 
tives can stay only a portion of the year ; at the Havana, 
within whose walls I have resided five years consecutively; 
that I have suffered captivity, robbery, imprisonment, ruin, 
and the racking anxiety consequent thereon. And yet, through 
the whole, and to the present sixty-eighth year of my age, 
I have never taken a drop of spirituous liquor of any kind ; 
never a glass of wine, of porter, ale, or beer, or any bev- 
erage stronger than tea and coffee ; and, moreover, I have 
never used tobacco in any way whatever ; and this, not 
only without injury, but, on the contrary, to the •'—'^nerva- 
tion of my health. Headache is known to me 
only ; and excepting those fevers which were pre 
great anriety and excitement, my life has been *.. 
sickness. 

The following narrative will enable the reader to form a 
comparison between a seaman's profession and his own ; and, 
possibly, after perusing it, he will be less disturb( 
annoyances which peculiarly beset him. He will pe 
the master of a merchant ship, in whom are i 
duties of navigator and factor, is subjected to great care 
and responsibility, even on ordinary and well-defined voyages. 
These are greatly augmented when the enterprise is envel- 
oped in darkness from the unknown political state of the 



PREFACE, 13 

countries whither lie is destined ; from the contingencies -which 
may be presented to him; and from the necessity of great 
circumspection, decision, and promptitude, in the choice of 
them. If he is timid and afraid to enter a port where 
there is uncertainty of a friendly reception, it may cause 
the ruin of his voyage. If, >. the contrary, he is bold, 
and enters such port, confiding .n the protection of existing 
treaties, and the laws of nations, he may also become the 
victim of arbitrary power, confided to unworthy and ignor- 
ant individuals. If success attend his enterprise, when re- 
turning home with ample compensation for his labor, he runs 
the risk of having it all snatched from him by some hun^ 
gry satellite of that great high-sea robber, termed " His," or 
'* Her Majesty." Thus, in addition to the ordinary perils 
of hurricanes and storms, of rocks and shoals, he has to 
incur the greater ones of the cupidity and villany of man. 

Of the ordinary labor and fatigue attendant on the pro- 
fession, the same individual would form opposite conclusions 
in different circumstances. The man who makes a winter's 
passage from Europe to America, and encounters the usual 
storms and severity of weather peculiar to that passage, will 
probably pronaunce the seaman's life to be the hardest, the 
most dangerous, the most irksome, the most wearing to body 
and mind, of any one of the pursuits of man. On the con- 
trary, he who sails from the United States to Calcutta, to 
China, or to South America, avoiding our winter's coast, 
may perform the voyage without experiencing a gale of 
greater severity than would require the sails to be reefed, 
A pleasing excitement when the necessity is of rare occur- 
rence; and he would probably decide that no profession is 
2 



14 PREFACE. 

SO easy, so pleasant, and so free from care, as tlie sea- 
man's. These are the two extremes, between which, as may 
be supposed, there are gradations, which will tend to incline 
the scale one way or the other, according to circumstances. 
The experience of more than twenty years, passed in nav- 
igating to all parts of the world, has led me to the con- 
clusion, that though the hardships and privations of a sea- 
man's life be greater than those of any other, there is a 
compensation in the very excitement of its dangers, in the 
opportunity it affords of visiting different countries, and view- 
ing mankind in the various gradations between the most 
barbarous and the most refined; and in the ever-changing 
scenes which this occupation presents. And I can say, with 
truth, that I not only feel no regret for having chosen this 
profession rather than any other, but that if my life were 
to be passed over again, I should pursue the same course. 



CONTENTS 



Pkefacb. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Counting House. A Salem merchant. His ships and masters. Distant 
voyages. Their excitement My first voyage. Disgust with it. Become 
master of the Enterprise. Voyage to Bourbon 25 



CHAPTEE n. 

Voyage to Havre. Disappointment. Send home the Enterprise. Buy a cut- 
ter. Amount of vessel and cargo. Explanation of my plan. Apprehension 
of my friends. Name of the vessel. Sail from Havre. Disaster. Attempt 
to return. Fall to leeward. Come to anchor. Cables part. Eun ashore. Hu- 
mane conduct of the people. They unlade and get off the vessel. Enter 
river Orme. Stop the leaks. Eetum to Havre. Eepair the vessel. The crew 
desert 40 



CHAPTEE m. 

Diificulty in procuring men. Partially accomplished. Sail from Havre. A Brit- 
ish Frigate. Ushant. Sketch of the crew. Anecdotes of George. His 
bravery and fidelity. Swimming after the pig. British Frigate Stag. Danger 
of contact. Chased off Cadiz. Boarded from a French privateer. Eeleased 
•unharmed. Cape de Verde Islands. A gale. Lose a cask of water. Causes 
a necessity of stopping at Cape of Good Hope. Arrival. Interview with the 
Admiral. Many visitors. Suspicion of our object. Inter^new with Lord 
Macartney. Searched for papers. Sell the vessel. Trouble T^ith the Collec- 
tor. Appeal to Lord ^Macartney. Adjusted. The vessel despatched. Never 

heard of after 49 

15 



16 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Description of the Cape. Of the town. Effects of southeast wind. Devil's Ta- 
ble Cloth. Season of westeriy gales. Dangerous to the shipping. Loss of the 
Sceptre. Loss of ship Jefferson. Notice of the inhabitants. Their feelings 
under the actual government. Simon's Bay. Constantia. Signal HiU. Resi- 
dence and resource of the man stationed there. Table Mountain. The ascent 
and view therefrom. Perilous situation. Mode of rescue. Descent and return 
to town «•» * 62 



CHAPTER V. 

Impatience to be off. Embark for BataTa. Chased by a Brig. Outsail her. 
Arrival at Batavia. Governor's surprise at our quick passage. Hotel. Amer- 
ican commerce. Effect of the climate on Europeans. Market. The Bay. 
Sharks and aligators. No opportunity to freight to the United States. Embark 
for China. Arrival at Macao. A typhon. Lose an anchor. Arrive at Wham- 
poa. At Canton. Embarrassment as to next destination. Arrival and pur- 
chase of an English cutter. Associates in the adventure. Factories. Recourse 
of beggars to compel alms. Enter the city. Result 67 



CHAPTER VI. 

Infoi-mation from Boston. Difficulty of obtaining men. Northeast Monsoon. 
A choice of difficulties. Sail from Anson's Bay. Anchoring when the tides 
were against us. Narrow escape. Rocks and shoals. Strike and stopped on a 
sunken ledge. Come off as the tide rises. Anchor and procure water and 
wood. Curiosity of the people. Stormy weather. Pass through a breaker 
unhurt. Keep company with a Chinese fleet. They enter Amoy. Anchor 
outside. Dangerous navigation. Island of Kemoy. Mutiny. Means of sub- 
duing it. Leave six men behind. Visit from a Chinese. Weather the north 
end of Formosa. Heavy gales across the Pacific. Discontent of the crew. ... 75 



CHAPTER Vn. 

See the coast of America. Prepare bulwarks. Anchor at Norfolk Sound. Dis- 
charge a cannon. Natives come to us. Caution to them. Their appearance. 
Purchase skins. Tribe. An accident. Result. Chatham Straits. Ship 
Eliza. Suspicious conduct of the natives. An alarm. Steeken. War canoe. 
A present. Request to stop the rain. A deserter. Recovered. Game. An- 
chor in a cove. Hostile attitude of the natives. Leave them. Ship Cheerful. 
Dangerous position of the vessel. Escape. Repair the damage. Ships Han 
cock and Despatch, of Boston. Skittigates. A stratagem. Howlings in 
the night. Sensibility of a native. Chiefs Kow, Coney aw, and Eltargee. ... 90 



CONTENTS. 17 



CHAPTER Vni. 



Sail for Sandwich Islands. My satisfaction. Owhyhee. Provisions and Fruit. "* 
Natives. Mowee. Proceed westward. Tinian. Anchor in the Typa. The 
ship Ontario. Reflections caused by her loss. Proceed to Whampoa and Can- 
ton. Take a factory. Contract for the cargo. Causes operating to discourage 
a return to the coast. Sell the cutter. Embark for Calcutta. Malacca. Pulo 
Pinan^. Procure a Pilot. Arrive at Calcutta • . 109 



CHAPTER IX. 

Captain Lay. Take a house. Servants. George pressed. Application for his 
release to the town Major and to the Chief of Police. Unsuccessful. To Lord 
Momington. George restored. His gratitude. American commerce. Buy a 
boat. Danish Flag. Deer hunt by tigers. Observations on Calcutta. Isle of 
France. CulpU. Danger in passing the Barabulla. Arrival at Isle of 
France 118 



CHAPTER X. 

Good fortune. Visit the Governor. His civihty. William Shaler. Dinner at the 
Governor's. Sell the vessel and cargo. Isle of Bourbon. St. Dennis. St. 
Paul's. Riviere d' Aborde. Mr. Nairac. Dinner Party. Pass near the volcano. 
St. Benoit. Retu-m to St. Dennis. RetmTi to Isle of France. Death of the 
Governor. Honors to his memory. Entry of a Hamburgh ship. Cut out by 
English boats. Purchase coffee. Confiance and Kent. Mode of capture. 
Bravery aud generosity of Surcouffe. Brig Traveller. A duel. Kent sold. 
Freight her. Naturahste and Geographe 127 



CHAPTER XI. 

Satisfaction at the prospect of departure. Observations on the Isle of France. 
Influence of the Jacobias. A hurricane. Sail for Europe. HaU an American 
schooner. Coast of Norway. War between the Enghsh and Danes. Arrive at 
Christiansand. Leave the ship, and proceed to Copenhagen. Arrival there. 
A profitable voyage. Sketch of Copenhagen. Obelisk. Fredericksburg pal- 
ace. Rosenberg Palace. Arrival of the ship from Norway 140 



CHAPTER Xn. 

Remarks. Associated with Mr. Shaler. Leave Copenhagen. Amve at Ham 

burgh. Purchase a vessel. Decision as to the command. Count de Rouissil- 

lon. Peace of Amiens. Discouraging prospects. Vessel near being lost in the 

river. Proceed to sea. Arrive at Grand Canaria. Appearance of the town. 

2* 



IS CONTENTS. 

Departure. Arrival at Eio Janeiro. An assassination. Convent of Bene- 
^ dictines. Bay of Eio. Departure. Cape Horn. Lose a man. Arrive at Val- 
paraiso 152 



CHAPTEE Xin. 

American vessels at Valparaiso. Permission to obtain supplies. Threat of the 
Captain-General. Controversy between the Governor and Captain Eowan. 
Arrest and imprisonment of Americans. Preparation for hostilities. Anger of 
the Governor. Determined on Vengeance. His treachery. Capture of the 
ship Hazard. Imprisonment of Eowan. Correspondence with the Captain- 
General. Defer our departure. Seizure of our vessel. Interrogatories. Our 
vessel restored to us. Order of the Captain-General to leave the port. Propo- 
sition from the Collector. Eefused. Eetum of the actual Governor. Inter- 
view and civil reception. Departure . 163 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

Arrive at the Callipagos Islands. Transactions there. Departure. Singular 
flaw of wind. Arrival at San Bias. Visited by the Commissary. Agreement 
vnth him. Opposed by the Governor. Character of the Governor. Contro- 
versy betAveen the Governor and Commissary. Order to leave San Bias. Ar- 
rangement with Eouissillon. He leaves us for Llexico. Go to the three Maria 
Islands. Embarrassment. Letter from Eouissillon. Death of the Governor. 
Catch a Sun Fish. Description of Three Marias. Eeturn again to San Bias. 
Proposal for the cargo. Eeturn of EouissiUon. Sale of part of the cargo. Pur- 
chase sea-otter skins. Suspicion of treachery. Take final leave of Eouissillon. 
His character. Death. Again anchor at the Three Marias. Discover a traitor 
in the mate. Seize his papers. Eemarka thereon 177 



CHAPTEE XV. 

Notice of San Bias. Domestic Indians. Circulation of revolutionary papers. 
SaU from the Three Maria Islands. St. Clement's. Indians. Arrive at San 
Diego. Commandant Eodriguez visits the ship. Leaves a guard on board. A 
visit to the fort. Ship Alexander. Fail in purchasing the skins. Detention of 
our men. Eescue. Disarm the guard on board. Prepare for war. Get under 
sail to go out. Fire of the fort. Eeturned. Pass by the fort. Put the guards 
on shore. Arrive at St. Quintln's. Visit of Missionaries. Corporal's letter. 
Padre's opinion of Eodriguez. Leave St. Quintin's. Notice of it. Guadaloupe. 
San Borja. Padre ]\Iariano Apolonario. His character. Procure horses. Our 
Farewell. Arrive at St. Joseph's. Obtain supplies. Sail for the Sandwich 
Islands 192 



CONTENTS. 18 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Observations on leaving the coast. California. Sandwich Islands. Visit of the 
king. Land the horses. Present them to the king. His estimation of them. 
Visit Derby's grave. Leave the Islands. Sketch of Tamaahraaah. Attempt 
at his conversion. A practice of the natives. An evidence of their gallantry. 
Instances of atrocious conduct of Americans . Island of Guam. A visit from 
the Governor's lady. Sketch of the Island. A storm. Arrival at Canton. Dis- 
pose of one half the ship. Mr. Shaler returns to California, and I embark in 
the Alert for Boston 206 



CHAPTER XVH. 

Parting with Mr. Shaler. Origin of our acquaintance. Observations. Embark 
for Boston. Touch at North Island. Pass the Isle of Bourbon. AiTive at the 
Cape of Good Hope. Reflections. Departure from the Cape of Good Hope. Ar- 
rival at Boston. Leha Byrd sails for California. Disaster. DLQiculty of mak- 
ing repairs. Arrive at the Sandwich Islands. Barter with the king. Place 
the cargo in his power. His honorable conduct. Expedite the Tamana. Mr. 
Hudson. His voyage. Return and death. Lelia Byrd. Apology for the voyage. 217 



CHAPTER XVm. 

Cause of again Voyaging. Destuiation. Suspicion of the Quakers. Sail from 
New York. A Gale. Dismasted. AiTive at Rio Janeiro. The Visit. Allow- 
ed Forty-five days to repair. Rig the vessel as a Brig. Obstacles to Changing 
the voyage. Obviated. Dispose of the Cargo. Buy a Ship and Cargo of Beef. 
Despatch the Aspasia by the Mate. Go to St. Catharine's in the Ship. De- 
scription. Sail for Havana. Boarded twice. Cochrane's Fleet. Boarding Oflfi- 
cer. A contrast to his Commander. Ordered for Tortola. Taken Possession 
of by the Cerberus Frigate 224 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Admiral Cochrane. His Notariety. Officers of the Cerberus. Theme of Con- 
versation. Arrival at Tortola. Dougan, the Prize agent. His Threat to the 
Judge. Vice Admiralty Court. Condemnation. Cause therefor. Proposal 
from the Agent. Proceed to St. Thomas. Wrecked. Arrive in the Boat. Ef- 
fect on the Owners. Fail in my Object. Return. Embark again for St. 
Thomas. Hence to New York. . Arrival. Interview with a Friend. Extent of 
my Misfortune. Arrive at Home . . . . , 237 



20 CONTENDS. 



CHAPTER XX. 

English Aggression. Embargo. Voyage to Africa. To Halifax and to Europe. 
Arrive in the Clyde. Proceed to London. Project a Voyage to the Isle of 
France. Defeated. Illness at Exeter. Eecoyer. Go to Holland. Lade a Ship 
for New York. Take Charge of Despatches for the United States* Arrival at 
Baltunore 249 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Kecessity for seeking a mUder Climate. SaD. for Naples. Arrival there. Con- 
fiscation. Rome visited. Ship Margaret. Refused a Passage in her. Disap- 
pointment. Her Loss. Buy the Nancy Ann. SaU with a License. Boarded 
by an English Brig of War. Wrath of the Captain. Arrive at Lisbon. Sell 
my Wine there. Embargo. Raised on the Retreat of ]\Iassena. SaU for Eng- 
land. Arrive at Plymouth. Narrow Escape from Shipwreck. Standgate 
Creek. Arrive at London. Tennination of my Charge 260 



CHAPTER XXIL 

Buy a Vessel and Cargo. Sail for Copenhagen. Wrecked on Jutland. Save the 
Cargo. Honest Character of the People. Arrive at Copenhagen. Sent au 
Agent to take Chai-ge of the Cargo. French Privateer at Elsineur. Go to Ri- 
ga and back. Import a Cargo from London. Seized at Copenhagen. Releas- 
ed too late. Frozen up. Proceed to Hamburgh. Bombardment. Capitulation. 
General Hogendorf. His Civility. Proceed to Paris. To Nantz. To Bordeaux. 
Embark in a Clipper. Pass through an English Fleet of Merchantmen. Their 
Dismay. Often chased, particularly on our own Coast. Great Superiority of 
Saihng. Arrive at New York 267 



CHAPTER XXIH. 

Invited to take Charge of a Voyage to Tenerifie and Batavia. SaU from Salem 
in Ship Exeter. Dismasted. Repair the Damages. Arrive at Teneriffe. Bad 
Roadstead of Orotava. Quarantine. Mr. Little. His Hospitality and Benevo- 
lence. Sail from Orotava. Cape Verde Islands. Land at Tristan d'Acunha. 
Procure Fish and Potatoes. Jonathan Lambert. Arrive at, and sail from, the 
Cape of Good Hope. Island of Amsterdam. AiTive at Batavia. Govenaors. 
Mr. Watt. Lade the Ship and put to Sea. Lose two Men. Arrive at the Isle 
of France. Exchange Produce. SaU for Home. St. Helena. Warned off. 
Finish the Voyage by arriving at Boston 2T7 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Preliminary Remarks. Departure from New York. Passing Reflectiotis. Pas- 
sage to Cape de Verde Islands. Tornado. St. Paul's on the Equator. Per- 
nambuco. Rio de la Plata. Cape Horn. Embayed. Passage of the Cape. 



CONTENTS. 21 

Land on the Island of Mocha. Arrival at Talcahuana. Visit of the Authori- 
ties. Sketch of them. A Guard sent on Board, Our Men taken away. Pro- 
hibition of Communication with our Countrymen of the Canton 284 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Sails unbent. Interchange of Letters with the Governor. Unfortunate Selection 
of a Port. Situation of the Royal and Patriot Forces. Visit from the Authori- 
ties. Sketch of them. Their Object and Determination. Hopeless Case. 
Some Resources 291 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Examination by the Assessor. Liberty to go on Shore. Escape to the Enemy 
of the Beaver's Men. Indignation of the Populace. Annoyance of Sentries. 
Arrival of the Venganza. Put the Guard to Sleep. Answer the Watchword. 
Plan of taking the Frigate. Consequences. Sounding tjie Men. Pay 3,p.poiat 
ed. Disappointed 296 



CHAPTER XXVn. 

Attack of Fever. 'Assault on the Town. Repulse. Condemnation of the Ship 
and Cargo. Appeal. Patriots set Fire to and abandon Conception. Arrival 
of Osorio, with Four Thousand Men. Pursue the Patriots. Battle of Talca. 
Desperate State of the Patriot Cause. Battle of ]\Iaipo. Ruin of the Royal 
Army. Return to Osorio. Distress of the People. Ships ordered to be ready. 
Removed from the Beaver 308 



CHAPTER XXVnL 

Arrival of the Esmeralda. Her Escape from capture. A Ship from Lima. An 
Order from the Viceroy for us to be sent there. Brig Canton prepared. Sailed 
on the 12th of May. Arrival at Callao. Interview with the Viceroy of Peru. 
Result. Take a House at Lima. Visit the Officers of Government. Encour- 
agement of Eventual Success 316 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Arrival of the Ontario. Threat of the Viceroy to send me away. His Change of 
Opinion. Promise of Protection. Plan a Voyage to Valparaiso. Engage a 
Ship. Engagement broken. Disappointment. Embark for Valparaiso in the 
Andromache. Captain Sheriffe, Officers, and Crew. Observance of the Sab- 
bath. Recreation. Masafuera. Juan Fernandez. Arrival 321 



22 CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEE XXX. 

Visit to the Governor. Difference in effect of old and new Government. Tariff. 
Mistaken policy. Meet some of the Beaver's men. Expectation of arrival of 
Supreme Director. Eejoicing on his arrival. Meet with Eibas. Introduced to 
the Supreme Director. Proposal to enter the service. Charter a Brig. Em- 
bargo. Journey to Santiago. Cuesta de Prado. Maipo. Sketch of the City. 
Eetm-n to Valparaiso 



CHAPTEE XXXI. 

Sail for Callao. Arrival. Eevocation of the Decree of Condemnation. Over- 
tures to buy the Ship. Take possession of the Beaver, Obligation to Captain 
Biddle. Livonia. Obligation to Captain Sheriffe. Embargo. Blossom, Eng- 
lish vessel of War. Judge iProvost. His bad odor with the Viceroy. Diffi- 
culty of procuring men. Obviated by prisoners. Capture of Isabella. Ex- 
pectation of the Chilian Fleet. Eemove the Beaver below the Fleet. Eeady 
for sea 



CHAPTEE XXXn. 

Embargo raised. Arrival of the Chilian Fleet. Cannonading with the Batteries. 
Useless result. Eemoval of the Beaver. Disposition of the crew to desert. 
Visit the Viceroy. Obtain a License. Chilian proclamation of Blockade. Visit 
Lord Cochrane's Ship. Insolence of her Captain. SaU for Pisco. Arrival 
there. Mutiny of the Crew. Suppressed. Sail for Guanchaca 343 



CHAPTEE XXXm. 

Pisco. Arrival at Guanchaca. Alarm at TruxiUo. Unlading and relading. Gal- 
varino. Men detained on shore. Suspicion of our good faith. Proceed to Mal- 
abrigo. Lose two anchors. Proceed to Pacasmayo. Finish loadiag. SaU for 
CaUao. Touch at Guacho. Hear of the Blockade being raised. Arrival at 
CaUao. Sketches of Truxillo, Guanchaca., Malabrigo, Pacasmayo. Satisfac- 
tion given the Viceroy. Discharge the Cargo, Proceed to Pisco. Lade with 
Brandy. Eetum to CaUao. Disappearance of the Volador 353 



CHAPTEE XXXI V. 

Suspected of sinking the Volador. Crew of the Beaver examined. SeU the 
Cargo. Charter the Ship, Sail for Guacho, Arrival of the ChiUan Fleet, 
Guacho and its manufactures. Sail for La BaxTanca. Stupid Pilot. Eeturn 
to Guacha. SaU for Samanco Bay. Observations thereon. Bad calculation 
of the Charterer. Commandante and his daughters. Arrival at Pacasmayo. 
SaU for Chili. Boarded by the San Martin. Arrival at Valparaiso 363 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Competition at Valparaiso. Purchase the Ship Ocean. Sail for Lima. Arrival; 
Completion of the Charter. Drottinger and Ocean sail for Guayaquil. Zephyr 
for Pacasmayo. Beaver for Guayaquil. Sketch of Lima. Arrival at Payta. 
Observations. Arrival at Guayaquil. Controversy with the Governor. Lade 
the Ships. Sail for CaUao. Arrival there. Governor of Guayaquil superse- 
ded. Sketch of Guayaquil 371 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Arrive at Callao. Repair the Ship. Sail for Rio Janeiro. Retrospective Reflec- 
tions. Receive a letter from the Owners. Remarks thereon. Reply. Arrival 
at Rio Janeiro. Customhouse Officer. Sail from Rio Janeiro. Happy Ship's 
Company. Arrive at New York. Letter to the President of the National In- 
surance Company. Reception by that Officer. Remark of a Merchant on the 
Voyage 



CHAPTER XXXVn. 

Visit my family in Massachusetts. Return to New York. Owners object to my 
Commission. Left to Arbitrators. Deduct therefrom two and a half per cent. 
Disappointed in promised remuneration. Letter to the President. No reply. 
Comparison of this Company with others. Not attributable to the President. 
Observations on Corporations. Close of my Voyaging. Remarkable fact as 
respects loss of men and Sickness. Loss of Property. Don Pedro Abadia. 
Don Jose Arismendi. Proceed to Hamburgh. Return. Letter to Abadia. 
Proceed to Bordeaux and Madrid. Interview with Arismendi. Viceroy. Re- 
turn via Paris and Havre. Arismendi in Boston. Imprisoned. Escape by the 
aid of a Merchant. His cunniug. Proceed to Havana. Death of Mr. Shaler. 
Effort to obtain the Consulate. Disappointed. Return to Boston 388 

CONCLUSION 401 

APPENDIX 404 



NARRATIVE OF VOYAGES. 



CHAPTER I. 



TTie Counting-HoTise — A Salem Merchant — His SMps and Masters — Distant Voy- 
ages — Their Excitement — My Fh'st Voyage — Disgust with it — Become Master 
of the Enterprise — Voyage to Bourbon. 



"J^ the ordinaiy course of a commercial education, 
in New England, boys are transferred from school 
to the merchant's desk at the age of fourteen or 
fifteen. When I had reached my fourteenth year, 
it was my good fortune to be received into the 
counting-house of Elias Hasket Derby, Esq. of 
Salem ; a merchant, who may justly be termed the 
father of. the American commerce to India ; one 
diose enterprise and commercial sagacity were une- 
qualled in his day, and, perhaps, have not been surpassed 
by any of his successors. To him our country is 
indebted for opening the valuable trade to Calcutta ; 
;fore whose fortress his was the first vessel to display the 
• American flag ; and, following up the business, he had reaped 
golden harvests before other merchants came in for a share. 
The first American ships, seen at the Cape of Good Hope 
and at the Isle of France, belonged to him. His were the first 
American ships which carried cargoes of cotton from Bombay to 
China ; and among the first ships which made a direct voyage to 
China and back, was one owned by him. He continued to prosecute 
a successful business, on an extensive scale, in those countries, 
until the day of his death. In the transaction of his affairs abroad, 
he was liberal, greatly beyond the practice in modern times, always 
desirous that every one, even the foremost hand, should share the 
3 




26 FIRST VOYAGE. 

good fortune to which he pointed the way ; and the long hst of masters 
of ships, who have acquired ample fortunes in his employment, is a 
proof both of his discernment in selecting and of his generosity in 
paying them. 

Without possessing a scientific knowledge of the construction and 
the sparring of ships, Mr. Derby seemed to have an intuitive faculty 
in judging of models and proportions ; and his experiments, in 
several instances, for the attainment of swiftness of sailing, were 
crowned with a success unsurpassed in our own or any other country. 
He built several ships for the India trade, immediately in the vicinity 
of the counting-house ; which afforded me an opportunity of becom- 
ing acquainted with the building, sparring, and rigging of ships. 
The conversations, to which I listened, relating to the countries then 
newly visited by Americans, the excitement on the return of an 
adventure from them, and the great profits which were made, always 
manifest from the result of my own little adventures, tended to stimu- 
late the desire in me of visiting those countries, and of sharing more 
largely in the advantages they presented. Consequently, after having 
passed four years in this course of instruction, I became impatient 
to begin that nautical career on which I had determined, as presenting 
the most sure and direct means of arriving at independence. 

The force of prejudice, in defiance of common sense and the plain- 
est dictates of reason, is perhaps in no case more frequently exhibited 
than in the pertinacity with which old seamen, whose nautical course 
began in the forecastle, adhere to the maxim, that, to make a good 
seaman, " it is requisite one should enter on board by the hawse-holes 
(or forecastle), and not by the cabin windows." When 1 began, I 
was aware of the existence of this maxim, but doubted its truth ; as 
I could not comprehend how the qualifications for command were to 
be acquired by living in the forecastle ; or how nautical skill was to 
be advanced by practising the duties of tarring down the rigging, and 
slushing the masts. I therefore had no ambition of attaining to a 
practical knowledge of these accomplishments. I came in at the 
cabin windows ; but with an understanding that I was to stand watch 
regularly, to take my regular turn at the helm, to reef and hand the 
sails, &c. ; and I am sure it will be admitted that there was no time 
when I flinched from the performance of those duties. 



CAPE HAYTIEN. 27 

Having, early in life, imbibed a predilection for nautical affairs, I 
had ample opportunity of indulging it, while in the counting-house 
of a merchant who had several ships built and equipped in the im- 
mediate vicinity of my place of employment. I had watched the 
progress and manner of fitting the rigging of many vessels, and 
thereby obtained a better knowledge of it than is often gained by many 
years' service in the forecastle. On the sailing or the arrival of our 
vessels, 1 was almost always on board, and thence acquired a knowl- 
edge of the art of manoeuvring a ship, such as is not always attained 
by long practice at sea. With such practical experience,! embarked 
at Salem, on my first voyage, in June, 1792, on board of the brig 
Rose, owned by Mr. Derby, and commanded by my early friend and 
school-mate, Nathaniel Silsbee,* on a voyage to Cape Frangois, now 
Cape Haytien. I entered in the capacity of captain's clerk ; to live 
with him in the cabin ; to assist him in his business in port ; and to do 
duty as a foremast hand at sea. Nor have I, after my long course 
of experience, been able to discover any way so desirable, so eligible 
as this, for giving a young man a practical knowledge of seamanship, 
free from the vulgarity of the forecastle ; and of so familiarizing 
him with the manner of doing business in various countries, as to 
make him an accomplished super-cargo. 

Our passage being made in the height of summer, — we experien- 
ced a long course of southerly winds, which so retarded our progress, 
that nearly forty days were consumed before reaching our destined 
port ; and there was scarcely a day of this long passage that I was 
not more or less sea-sick. I remember only one incident to vary the 
monotonous scene on this tedious passage ; and this was of a descrip- 
tion that will never be obliterated from my memory. We were one 
day lying perfectly becalmed near the tropic, — the water so smooth 
as to reflect every object, like a mirror, — the heat intense ; the vessel 
lying like a log, with scarcely any perceptible motion. At this time, 
though not unconscious of danger, I could not resist the inclination 
of taking a plunge into the ocean. I had not, however, been swim- 
ming more than five minutes, before the men on board perceived a 
shark coming quickly towards the vessel. The necessity for caution, 

* Since President of the Senate of Massachusetts, and for several years a Senator 
of the United States. 



28 FIRST VOYAGE. 

SO as not to alarm me, was obvious ; and Captain Silsbee, being for- 
tunately on deck, with great presence of mind dropped his hat over- 
board, and called to me to come quickly and pick it up before it filled 
with water. I did so, and had scarcely got out of the water with the 
hat in my hand, when I saw, within a few feet of me, a shark of 
enormous size ; indeed in all my extensive navigation since, I have 
seen none that would bear any comparison with it. As he came 
fearlessly close alongside the vessel, one of the seamen got ready a 
harpoon to throw into him, but was forbidden so to do, from the cer- 
tainty of losing it. 

Arriving safely at Cape Frangois, the bay presented a scene of 
commercial activity, such as I had never seen equalled. The throng 
of boats by which we were instantly surrounded, to sell us the variety 
of strange fruits with which they were laden ; — the number of large 
ships in port, some loading, others unloading ; — tl\e daily arrival and 
departure of vessels of all nations ; — the French slavers continually 
coming in from Africa, with a crowd of blacks on their decks ; — the 
fine ships of war in beautiful order ; and the multitude of boats 
passing to and fro, across the bay; — formed, altogether, a scene 
surpassingly animated and brilliant, to one whose eye had never before 
met any thing of the kind, exceeding the ordinary exhibition of ves- 
sels in Salem harbor. The activity and bustle of business on shore 
seemed to be even greater than that in the bay ; and the magnificent 
stores, filled with every description of merchandise, gave indications 
of the riches and business of the place ; while the long range of stalls 
on the border of the bay, for the retail of all kinds of French knick- 
knacks, gave employment and a living to a great number of the col- 
ored population. The insurrection of the negroes, however, had, at 
this time, made some progress ; and only a short period elapsed 
before these riches " took to themselves wings," and the whole white 
population of the colony was involved in one promiscuous state of 
ruin. 

Having disposed of our outward cargo, and reladen with another, 
the produce of the island, we were wafted to sea by the land breeze, 
very early on a morning in the latter part of August, and, after a 
fair passage, arrived in safety at Salem, in September, 1792 ; — thus, 
to my great joy, accomplishing my first voyage ; and experiencing a 



POPwT PRAYA. 29 

relief from the nausea, occasioned by the wearisome rolling and bad 
odor of the vessel, which is probably not unusual, and will be duly 
appreciated by those who make their first passages at sea. 

The distress from sea-sickness, and its consequent prostration of 
spirits, were such as to make it desirable to seek some other road t<? 
fortune. But I possessed no capital with which to bring my com- 
mercial acquirements into action ; and a merchant without capital 
was as incapable of making head- way, as a mechanic without tools. 
There remained to me, therefore, only the choice of persevering in 
the profession I had chosen, with a prospect of independence ; or of 
earning a maintenance as a clerk or book-keeper, with no chance of 
ever being any thing else. Had the disagreeable circumstances 
attending a sea-life been even greater than they v/ere, I should have 
had no hesitancy in the choice, and I therefore engaged to go out 
again with Captain Silsbee, in the same capacity as before, in a new 
ship of Mr. Derby's, then ready to be launched. This ship, of about 
one hundred and ninety tons' burden, was called the Benjamin, and 
was destined for the Isle of France and the East Indies. 

In the prosecution of this voyage, we left Salem harbor on the 11th 
of December, 1792. 

During the first week after our departure, we had a gale of wind 
from north-northwest, and northwest, which compelled us to take in 
the topsails, and to keep the ship scudding before the wind and sea, 
under the foresail. As we passed over George's Bank the sea was 
tremendous ; sweeping from our decks several hogsheads of water 
and two casks of merchandise, and threatening us with the loss of 
boats and caboose. The men suffered exceedingly, during the first 
three days, from incessant exposure to cold and wet. Such entire 
absence, for the time, of any approximation to comfort, I have never 
witnessed since. The cook, a black man, either from heedlessness, 
or from ignorance how to take care of himself, had his feet so badly 
frozen that it was found necessary to amputate his toes, — which 
was done with a penknife by the second mate ; who then dressed the 
wounds to the best of his ability. 

About six weeks after this occurrence (26th January) we arrived 
at Port Praya, St. Jago, to which place we had proceeded for the pur- 
pose either of leaving the cook there, or of procuring such surgical 
3* 



tJU FIRST VOYAGE. 

and medic9.1 aid as was needed for his recovery. Fortunately, we 
found lying there H. B. Majesty's ship Scorpion. The surgeon of 
this ship, being immediately sent for, came with alacrity, and exam- 
ined and dressed the poor fellow's feet. He left salves and medicines, 
with directions how to use them ; and, with characteristic generosity, 
refused any compensation. To the fortunate circumstance of re- 
ceiving this very opportune aid, the poor cook was indebted for a 
speedy cure, if not for his life. Having filled our water-casks, and 
procured the requisite supply of vegetables, we sailed the next day 
for the Cape of Good Hope. The long calms we experienced on the 
equator, and the foulness incident to a wooden-bottomed ship, retarded 
our progress, so that we did not arrive at Table Bay till the 10th of 
April. 

The exhaustion of our stores, consequent on a four months' pas- 
sage, would have rendered an arrival at any civilized place a pleasing 
event. But, at the Cape of Good Hope, where fresh provisions and 
vegetables of good quality, and delicious grapes and other fruits, 
were to be obtained in abundance, the pleasure of our arrival was 
increased to a degree to leave a lasting impression on my mind. 

A part of our cargo was disposed of at the Cape ; and its place 
filled up with such produce of the country as it was supposed would 
yield the most profit at the Isle of France. Our business being accom- 
plished, we sailed from the Cape on the 23d of April. On the suc- 
ceeding night we experienced a gale, which obliged us to heave to, 
under foresail and mizzen staysail. At this time the ship was labor- 
ing and straining so much, that it was deemed expedient to throw 
over the deck load, which afforded perceptible relief. Proceeding 
on our course, no event worthy of notice occurred till the 26th of 
May, when we fell in with the French frigate. La Prudente, bound to 
the Isle of France, and conveying the news of a declaration of war 
by England against France. On the 6th of June we arrived, and 
came to anchor at Port Louis, Isle of France. 

The news of the war with England greatly enhanced the value of 
our cargo ; and the prospect was flattering for making a great voy- 
age, if left unmolested to pursue our business. But the disorders 
incident to the Revolution had reached this island ; and the discord 
existing between the admiral in command of the naval force, and the 



ISLE OF BOURBON. 31 

government on shore, was an epitome of that then existing in France, 
between the parties who were struggling for the ascendency. Vice- 
admiral St. Felix refused obedience to the dictation of the Jacobin 
government ; and for such refusal, — lilie the unfortunate Macnamara, 
— he would have been cut to pieces, had he ventured to come on 
shore. Aware of this, he took care never to put himself into their 
power ; but his long residence on ship-board, and consequent depri- 
vation of the salutary effects of occasionally visiting the shore, had 
the usual result in such cases, producing scurvy. But however much 
the authorities were at variance with each other, they agreed in one 
thing, the detention of all the American vessels in port, till the arri- 
val of news from France, such as should dispel the existing doubt, then 
very prevalent, of America's taking sides with England against France. 

In the mean time, all the ships being sheathed with wood, the worms 
were making such havoc, that a long detention would be scarcely less 
disastrous than confiscation. There is probably no place in the world 
surpassing Port North- West, now so called, for the destructive power 
of the worm. On going into the hold of the ship, when empty, i 
was astonished at the noise they made ; not unlike a multitude of 
borers with augers ; but fortunately, when they have pierced the 
sheathing, their further progress is arrested by the hair which is plac- 
ed between the sheathing and the bottom of the ship. 

On the 6th of July, several American ships being ready for sea, 
their masters w^ent together on board of the Admiral's ship, and had 
an interview with him on the subject of obtaining leave to sail ; but 
this he refused them, on the plea of its endangering the safety of 
some merchant ships then on the point of sailing for France. A 
second application was made on the 31st of July, with a like result ; 
nor was it till the arrival of the Am.erican ship Pigou, with French 
passengers, direct from Bordeaux, on the 20th of November, that the 
authorities were satisfied that America would maintain a neutral posi- 
tion, and, as a consequence, were willing to raise the embargo. 

Being thus relieved from a painful state of anxiety, and from an 
embargo of nearly six months' duration, we sailed from the Isle of 
France on the 25th of November, being only partly laden ; and pro- 
ceeded to the Isle of Bourbon to take on board a quantity of coffee 
already prepared for us. Having anchored at St. Dennis, and 



% ^ 



32 FIRST VOYAGE. 

taken on board a part, we proceeded to St. Benoit, and took 
in the remainder. The anchorage at this latter place is so bad that 
it is rare that any other than small coasting vessels attempt to load 
there. We came to in fifty fathoms, the cable being nearly up and 
down. The Benjamin was the first foreign vessel that had ever an- 
chored in that port ; and having fine weather and a very smooth sea, 
and receiving every facility from the agent on shore, we succeeded 
in the accomplishment of our object, after remaining four days at this 
dangerous anchorage. We then sailed, on the 7th of December, for 
the Cape of Good Hope, touching again at St. Dennis for the settle- 
ment of accounts, which caused a detention of a few hours only. 

Our passage from St. Dennis to the Cape of Good Hope was at- 
tended with no circumstance worthy of note. It was performed in 
about thirty days, and we arrived there on the 4th of January, 1794. 
A few days afterwards, the ship Henry arrived from the Isle of 
Bourbon, only partially laden ; and on the same day the brig Hope 
arrived from Salem. Such a coincidence was not lost on the enter- 
prising mind of Captain Silsbee, who, seizing the advantage present- 
ed by it, determined on returning to the Isle of France with a cargo 
of Cape produce, which was greatly wanted there ; and on freighting 
home, in the above vessels, the cargo then on board. Having made 
arrangements for carrying this plan into execution, he caused to be 
shipped in these vessels, to the owner in Salem, such portion of the 
cargo from the Isle of France as would considerably more than pay 
for the cost of our ship and of her whole outward freight ; and the 
proceeds of the remainder, beyond vv^hat was put on board the Henry 
and the Hope, were invested in wines and other articles suited to the 
market of the Isle of France. 

A few days before the completion of our business at the Cape, the 
British frigate Diomede anchored in the bay ; which was rather an 
alarming incident, as at that period the thirst for plunder among the 
officers of the British navy, and their consequent annoyance of neu- 
trals, were very great. It was soon afterwards rumored that they 
had information of our intention of going to the Isle of France, and 
meant to prevent it ; although we had not violated any known law or 
regulation of the place, or compromised any of the rights of neu- 
trals, nor was the island blockaded. Our exertions, therefore, were 



ISLE OF FRANCE. , 33 

unremitting to be off with the least possible delay. x\ccordingly, be- 
ing ready for sea, we went on board in the afternoon of the 4th of 
February, in a strong southeaster, and with a prospect of its increase. 
We had been on board but a short time before we saw a boat put off 
from the Diomede, and row towards us. If it had been their inten- 
tion to board us, as we supposed to be the case, tliey were unable to 
do so, from the violence of the wind, and they landed about a mile to 
leeward. As, in going out of , the bay, we should be obliged to pass 
by the Diomede, we waited till after dark for this purpose. In the 
mean time the gale had increased to such a degree, that, when we 
attempted to heave ahead, we found it to be entirely impossible, and, 
as the only alternative, we slipped our cables, hoisted the fore-topmast 
staysail, and were soon at sea, out of the reach of molestation. 

Arriving safely at the Isle of France on the 13th of March, our 
cargo was disposed of immediately, to great advantage. The ship 
was again loaded with a cargo of the produce of the island, and we 
sailed for home on the 8th of April ; having been only twenty-six 
days in selling and delivering one cargo, purchasing and lading 
another, and getting off. Here, again, we had to leave rather abrupt- 
ly, and a day or two sooner than had been contemplated, in conse- 
quence of information, which was received on a Sunday morning, 
that at a meeting, the preceding evening, of the Jacobin club (which 
then governed the place), it had been decreed that an embargo 
should be laid, on Monday morning, on all the foreign vessels then in 
port. Having previously, as has been seen, suffered here from a six 
months' embargo, it was determined, if possible, to escape another 
such detention, even at some hazard. 

In pursuance of this determination, a number of sailors were hired, 
and brought on board ; one of the pilots of the port, who was an in- 
fluential member of the Jacobin club, was, by means of an exorbi- 
tant price for his services, and by a little stratagem which was ac- 
quiesced in by him, prevailed upon to be on board the ship, and to 
conduct her out of port ; the ship's papers were procured from the 
Bureau of the government by an officer of the port, for which he 
was rewarded by a free passage to Salem ; and all other preparations 
being made, — as soon as the port bells rang to call the populace to 
dinner, the three topsails, with the jib and spanker, were hastily bent, 



34 FIRST VOYAGE. 

the cables slipped, and the ship put to sea before their return, — the 
long boat being given to the hired sailors, to convey themselves and 
the pilot on shore. Not having a sufficiency of provisions on board 
for a passage to America, no other alternative was left us but to stop 
at the Isle of Bourbon ; accordingly, with only one anchor and one 
cable left, we anchored the next day in the roads of St. Dennis. 
The account of the transactions here I copy from Captain Silsbee's 
notes. — 

" On landing at St. Dennis, I called on the Governor of the island 
(whose residence was immediately contiguous to the wharf, and who 
was one of the old Ro3^alists), as was usual, though not obligatory ; 
and, immediately after leaving him, devoted myself exclusively to 
the procurement of such provisions as I could find, and the addition 
of a few bags of coffee to the cargo ; which business was not ac- 
complished until towards night, — when, just as I was stepping from 
the wharf into my boat, with a determination to be at sea before 
morning, the Governor ordered me to his presence ; which order I 
obeyed from necessity, and with strong apprehension that some re- 
straint was to be imposed on me. On meeting the Governor, he ask- 
ed, — ' How long do you contemplate staying at Bourbon ? ' My an- 
swer was, ' No longer than is necessary to complete my business.' 
He added, — ' Can't you leave here to-night ? ' I replied, ' I can do 
so, if you wish it.' He then said to me, ' As you had the politeness 
to call on me this morning, and as 1 should be sorry to see you injur- 
ed, hearken to my advice, and leave here to-night, if practicable.' I 
thanked the Governor for his advice, and was on my way towards my 
boat, when he called me back and said, ' Let no one know what I 
have said to you.' I was in my boat and on board the ship as soon 
as possible after leaving the Governor. There was a brig of war at 
anchor in the roads, a little to windward of our ship. Towards mid- 
night I caused the anchor to be hove up without noise, and let the ship 
drift to leeward (the wind and current being favorable), without mak- 
ing sail, until from the darkness of the night we had lost sight of 
the brig ; when we made all sail directly from the land. At daylight 
in the morning, the brig was out, and in pursuit of us ; but, in the 
course of the day, gave up the chase. 

" I never knew the cause of the Governor's advice, but attrihited 



RETURN HOME. 35 

it to an apprehension, on his part, that my stopping at Bourbon might 
be supposed by the populace to be for the purpose of taking off the 
French admiral St. FeUx (another of the old Royalists), who had 
rendered himself obnoxious to them, and who was known to be then 
secreted somewhere on the island ; and that this suspicion might 
compel him (the Governor) to cause the detention and perhaps the 
seizure of my ship, if I remained there until the next day." 

Whatever might have been the Governor's motive, we could per- 
ceive in his advice only a disinterested and friendly act towards us ; 
by means of which mischief was probably averted. Pursuing our 
course to the westward, we struck soundings in sixty-five fathoms on 
L'Agulhas Bank, the 4th of May ; passed the Cape of Good Hope 
the next day, and on the 30th came to anchor at the Island of As- 
cension. The time we passed here in fishing, catching turtle, shoot- 
ing wild goats, and rambling about the island, formed a pleasing and 
healthy interlude to the monotony of our voyage. Having obtained 
a good supply of all such refreshments as the island afforded, we left 
it on the first of June, and, after a very pleasant passage, anchored 
in Salem harbor on the tenth of July ; having been absent nineteen 
months ; and having the satisfaction of returning all our men, in 
health, to their families and friends. 

This voyage, thus happily accomplished, will be viewed, when 
taken in all its bearings, as a very remarkable one ; — first, from the 
extreme youth of him on whom the whole duty and responsibility of 
conducting the enterprise rested ; aided by a chief mate younger 
than himself, and by a second mate but a few years older. Captain 
Silsbee was not twenty years old when entrusted with this enterprise ; 
the chief mate, Charles Derby, had not entered on his twentieth year; 
and the second mate, who was discharged at the Isle of France, and 
whose place I filled afterward, was about twenty-four years old. 
Secondly, — from the foresight, ingenuity, and adroitness manifest- 
ed in averting dangers ; in perceiving advantages, and in seizing 
them opportunely, and turning them to the best account ; — and third- 
ly, from the great success attending this judicious management, as 
demonstrated by the fact of his returning to the owner four or five 
times the amount of the original capital. Mr. Derby used to call' us 
his boys, and boast of our achievements ; and well might he do so ;. 



36 FIRST VOYAGE, 

for it is not probable that the annals of the world can furnish another 
example of an enterprise of such magnitude, requiring the exercise 
of so much judgment and skill, being conducted by so young a man, 
aided only by those who were yet younger, and accomplished with 
the most entire success. 

It was a gratifying evidence of confidence and approbation, that, 
after such extended observations of my capacity and character, Cap- 
tain Silsbee should invite me to accompany him again to India in the 
Benjamin, as chief mate ; which I was preparing to do, when, unex- 
pectedly, Mr. Derby made known his intention of giving that office 
to his nephew, and proposed my going as second mate. This I de- 
clined to do ; and thus raised a barrier to any advancement where I 
had most reason to hope for it. 

I remained without employment till the autumn, not without expe- 
riencing much anxiety and impatience, — when I was invited by 
Captain Chipman to go with him, as chief mate, in the bark Enter- 
prise, belonging to the son of my former employer, and bound to 
Bordeaux. Captain Chipman, a native of Salem, was an experienc- 
ed navigator ; one who had seen severe and even cruel service at 
sea ; having, during our revolutionary war, been pressed on board a 
British frigate, and taken to the East Indies, where, in some engage- 
ment, he received a wound, the effect of which remained to the end 
of his days, and probably lessened their number. He was a rigid 
disciplinarian ; a good-hearted man ; but often irritable, from the 
effect of indisposition caused by his wound. Our bark was so deep- 
ly laden that there were but few days of the passage when the sea 
was not rolling from side to side over our deck, and twenty-five days 
were consumed before reaching our destination. 

Arriving safely at Bordeaux, late in November, we there passed 
the winter of 1794-95, a winter of remarkable severity, and such 
as is rarely experienced in that part of France. The running ice 
made sad havoc with all those ships which were not seasonably re- 
moved from the effect of its greatest force. The cables of some 
were cut off, and they drifted on shore ; the bottoms of others were 
cut through, and they sunk at their anchors. The cold, being pro- 
portionally severe at the North, greatly facilitated the operations of 
Pichegru in the conquest of Holland. 



FRENCH REVOLUTION. 37 

This was a period of unusual effervescence in the minds of the 
French people ; when, professing to worship Reason, they seemed to 
have abandoned any they might ever have had. On one of the De- 
cades, I went, amongst those going to worship, into what they term- 
ed the Temple of Reason. It was one of the old CathoUc churches, 
fitted up in accordance with the new order of things. At one end of 
the interior was painted, in imitation of wild natural scenery, trees 
and shrubs, rocks and precipices, on a screen which concealed seats 
at various elevations, and flights of steps leading to them, and extend- 
ing nearly up to the ceiling. Here, and on the floor of the Temple, 
were assembled, probably, one hundred and fifty persons ; who were 
addressed by a chizen, from the pulpit, on the subject of the advan- 
tages resulting, and to result, to France and to the world, from the 
Revolution ; — a Revolution which was the pride and glory of the 
patriots, and the dread and horror of the aristocrats ; — a Revolution 
which would place France at the head of the civilized world, and 
immortalize all those who were most instrumental in producing it, 
&c. &c. It was, in those days, hazardous even for a foreigner to be 
seen in the streets without the tricolored cockade ; equally so was it 
to use the words Monsieur and Madame, instead of citoyen and cito- 
yenne. Even the slightest reference to the old regime was inadmissi- 
ble ; and such was the tumult, one evening when I was present at the 
Great Theatre, because an actress appeared with a white feather in 
her head-dress, that it was suppressed with much difficulty, and only 
by calling in the aid of the military. At every corner and public 
place in the city, was to be seen a tablet inscribed with large letters, 
as follows, — ''^ Liberie, Egalite, Fraternite, ou la morty Such 
were some of the freaks incident to the early part of the French 
Revolution ; and such was the infatuation of the sovereign people, as 
to render them blind to the fact of their having substituted a hundred 
tyrants for the one they had destroyed. 

There was, at this time, a great scarcity of provisions in France, 
and the poor experienced unusual suffering from that cause. Flour 
produced thirty dollars a barrel, and other provisions in proportion ; 
so that our cargo of fish sold for a great profit. Having invested the 
proceeds of it in a cargo of wine and brandy, we sailed for home in 
March, and arrived there in safety after a fair passage. Remaining 
4 



38 FIEST VOYAGE. 

but a few days at home, I sailed again with Captain Chipman, in the 
same capacity and in the same vessel, to New York, — there to lade 
a cargo for France. After being partially loaded, accounts were re- 
ceived from thence which discouraged the prosecution of the plan. 
The cargo was relanded, the crew discharged, the vessel laid by, and 
myself alone left to take care of her. 

In the autumn of 1795, a voyage was determined on for the bark, 
to the Isle of Bourbon ; to lade a part of the cargo at New York, 
and to proceed to Boston for the remainder. The charge of this en- 
terprise was confided to me, and, as will readily be supposed, was 
very gratifying to me. But, in carrying into execution the first part 
of this plan, that of conducting the vessel to Boston, I came near 
terminating my nautical and earthly course, from a cause beyond the 
reach of human control. When we came in sight of Cape Cod, the 
weather was clear and pleasant with a light breeze from the east- 
ward, before which we spread all sail for Boston light ; but very sud- 
denly the wind increased, accompanied with thick weather, and 
every appearance of a storm. It was no less extraordinary than 
unfortunate, that neither myself, nor any one on board, had entered 
Boston harbor from sea, consequently no one was acquainted with 
the localities of the light-house. Under such circumstances, in 
thick weather, a gale of wind blowing on shore, and night approach- 
ing, — to have run for the light, in the hope of obtaining a pilot, 
would have been the height of imprudence. The only alternative, 
then, which presented for the salvation of the ship and our lives, was 
that of hauling on a wind, and endeavoring to keep off shore ; but 
this was a forlorn hope, for we had advanced far into the bay, and 
could make only short boards each way. As every man was sensi- 
ble of the impending danger, they worked with unusual alacrity in 
close-reefing the topsails, which, with the courses, when hauled on a 
wind, brought the lee gunwale under water. It was about four 
o'clock, P. M., and the sea had increased so much that the ship, be- 
ing a dull sailer, made nearly as much lee way as head way. The 
night was long, dark, terrific, and it was doubtful if any one of us 
would see the light of another day ; yet all were alert, at their posts, 
in wearing ship, though thoroughly drenched with the spray which 
constantly broke over us. The only glimmering hope that remained 



NARROW ESCAPE. 39 

to US was, that the gale might not be of the ordinary duration ; and 
this was realized, as, at dawn, the gale abated as suddenly as it had 
risen, leaving us nearly becalmed. This in no degree lessened the 
danger of our situation. By the soundings, we knew that we were 
but little distant from Cohasset rocks, on which the sea was breaking 
with great fury, and constantly heaving the ship toward them. We 
had got ready our anchors ; aware, however, that if they brought the 
ship up, which was doubtful, the cables would soon be cut off by the 
rocks, for a chain cable was not then known. In this dilemma, with 
a dense fog and a light easterly breeze, a little fishing vessel appear- 
ed close alongside of us, bound in. The skipper knew his position 
exactly, and said if we would follow him, we should be inside the 
light in two hours. 

We did follow him, and, in less than two hours, were boarded by a 
pilot when inside the light. This sudden transition from the most 
imminent danger to the most perfect safety ; from the most boister- 
ous, sleepless, and terrific night, to the smooth water, quiet, and safety 
of a secure haven, was productive of emotions more easily imagined 
than described ; nor could I fail to contrast the bearing which a dif- 
ferent result (supposing I had survived it) would have had on my 
future destiny. 



CHAPTER II 



Voyage to Havre de Grace —- Disappointment — Send home the Enterprise — Buy a 
Cutter — Amount of Vessel and Cargo — Explanation of my Plan — Apprehension 
of .my Friends — Name of the Vessel— Sail from Ha%Te — Disaster — Attempt to 
return — Fall to Leeward — Come to Anchor — Cables part — Etm ashore — Humane 
Conduct of the People — They unlade and get off the Vessel — Enter River Orme 
— Stop the Leaks — Return to Havre — Repair the Vessel— The Crew desert. 



'M-VWN^ completed the lading of the ship, I 
sailed from Boston in October, 1795, bound to 
the Isle of Bourbon. 

The confidence, thus evinced, in entrusting the 
management of a valuable vessel and cargo to so 
young and inexperienced a man, for I had then 
only attained my majority, was very gratifying to 
my ambition, and was duly appreciated. 
In those almost primitive days of our commerce, a 
coppered vessel was scarcely known in the United 
States ; and on the long East India voyages, the barna- 
cles and grass, which accumulated on the wooden 
sheathing, retarded the ship's sailing so much, that a third 
imore time, at least, v/as required for the passages, than is 
needed since the practice of sheathing with copper has been 
adopted. The success attending this voyage was very satisfactory to 
my employer, of which he gave evidence in despatching me again, 
in the same vessel, on a voyage to Europe, and thence to Mocha, for 
a cargo of coffee. 

While at Havre de Grace, in the summer of 1797, engaged in 
making preparations for pursuing the voyage, I had the mortification 
to learn, by letters from my employer, that some derangement had 
occurred in his affairs, which made it necessary to abandon the Mocha 
enterprise, and to place in his hands, with the least possible delay, 
the funds destined for that object. Among the numerous commercial 




PURCHASE A VESSEL. 41 

adventures, in which our merchants at that time had been engaged 
to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, no voyage had been 
undertaken to Mocha. To be the first, therefore, in an untried adven- 
ture, was highly gratifying to my ambition ; and my disappointment 
was proportionally great when compelled to relinquish it. To have 
detained the vessel in France, while waiting the slow progress of the 
sale of the cargo, would have been injudicious ; and she was there- 
fore despatched for home under charge of the mate, William Webb, 
of Salem. 

Being thus relieved from the necessity of an immediate return to 
the United States, I flattered myself that, even with the very con- 
tracted means which I possessed, I might still engage, with a little 
assistance, and on a very humble scale, in some enterprise to the Isle 
of France and India. When, therefore, I had accomplished the 
business with which I had been charged, by remitting to the owner in 
Salem his property with me, 1 began earnestly to put to the test the 
practicability of the object of which I was so desirous. A coincidence 
of favorable and very encouraging circumstances aided my views. 
A friend of mine had become proprietor of a little cutter of thirty- 
eight tons burden, which had been a packet between Dover and 
Calais. This vessel had been taken for a debt ; and the owner, not 
knowing what to do with her, offered her to me for a reasonable 
price, and to pay when I had the ability. This credit would enable 
me to put all my capital in the cargo, excepting what was required 
for coppering and fitting the cutter for the contemplated voyage, about 
five hundred dollars ; leaving me fifteen hundred to be invested in 
the cargo. On making known to others of my friends the plan of 
my voyage, two of them engaged to embark to the amount of a 
thousand dollars each, on condition of sharing equally the profits at 
the end of the voyage. Having become proprietor of the cutter, 
which, with all additional expenses, cost, ready for sea, about one 
thousand dollars, an investment of articles best suited to the market 
of the Isle of France was purchased to the amount of three thou- 
sand five hundred dollars ; making vessel and cargo amount to four 
thousand five hundred. It is not probable that the annals of com- 
merce can furnish another example of an Indiaman and cargo being 
fitted and expedited on so humble a scale. 
4* 



42 FIRST VOYAGE. 

I had now the high gratification of uncontrolled action* An innate 
love of independence, an impatience of restraint, an aversion to 
responsibility, and a desire to have no other limits to my wanderings 
than the globe itself, reconciled me to the endurance of fatigues and 
privations, which I knew to be the unavoidable consequence of navi- 
gating in so frail a bark, rather than to possess the comparative ease 
and comfort, coupled with the restraint and responsibility which the 
command of a fine ship belongmg to another would present. 

As there are, doubtless, many persons, not excepting those, even, 
who are familiar with commercial and maritime affairs, who will 
view this enterprise as very hazardous from sea risk, and as offering 
but a very small prospect of emolument, it is proper, so far as I am 
able, to do av/ay such impressions by briefly stating the object I had 
in view. On my late voyage to the Isle of Bourbon, I had perceived 
a great deficiency in the number of vessels, requisite for the advan- 
tageous conveyance of passengers and freight to and from the Isles 
of France and Bourbon. If my cutter had been built expressly for 
the purpose, she could not have been more suitable. With a large 
and beautifully finished cabin, where passengers would be more com- 
fortably accommodated than in many vessels of greater dimensions ; 
with but small freighting room, and requiring, therefore^ but little time 
to load, and of greater speed in sailing than the generality of mer- 
chant vessels, I had no doubt of being able to sell her there for more 
than double the cost ; or I might find it to be more advantageous to 
employ her in freighting between the islands. In either event, I felt 
entire confidence in being amply remunerated for the time and risk. 
On the cargo, composed of such articles as my late experience had 
proved to be most in demand, I had no doubt of making a profit of 
from fifty to one hundred per cent on its cost. The proceeds of 
vessel and cargo, invested in the produce of the island, and shipped to 
Europe or the United States, would, at that time, have yielded a 
clear gain of thirty*three and one third per cent. Thus, in the course 
of one year, I should make two hundred per cent, on the original cap- 
ital ; a result which might be considered abundant compensation for 
the time it would consume, and should take from the enterprise the 
character of quixotism, with which it had been stigmatized. 

As soon as it became known at Havre that my destination was the 



DANGERODS VOYAGE. 43 

Isle of France, some of my friends, anxious for my safety, and per- 
ceiving in the enterprise only the ardor and temerity of inexperienced 
youth, endeavored to dissuade me from it, by painting to me, in glow- 
ing colors, the distress and probable destruction I was preparing for 
myself and men. But, however friendly and considerate the advice, 
I felt myself more competent to judge of the risk than they were, 
and, consequently, disregarded them.* 

The vessel, being all ready for sea on the 20th of September, 
1797, was detained several days by the difficulty of procuring men. 
Those who were engaged one day would desert the next ; and the 
dangerous character of the enterprise having been discussed and 
admitted among the seamen in port, I began to be seriously apprehen- 
sive that I might not succeed in procuring a crew. At length, how- 
ever, with much difficulty, and some additional pay, I succeeded in 
procuring four men ; and, having previously engaged a mate, our 
number was complete. 

To delay proceeding to sea a moment longer than was necessary, 
would have been incurring a risk of the loss of my men, and the pay 
I had advanced them. Hence I was induced to sail when appear- 
ances were very inauspicious. A strong north wind w^as blowing 
into the bay with such violence as already to have raised a consider- 
able sea ; but I flattered myself that, as the sun declined, it would 
abate ; that, if we could weather Cape Barfleur, we should make a 
free wind down channel ; and that, if this should be found imprac- 
ticable, we could, at all events, return to Havre Roads, and v/ait there 
a more favorable opportunity. 

With such impressions, we sailed from Havre on the 25th of Sep- 
tember. A great crowd had assembled on the pier head to witness 
our departure, and cheered us as we passed. It was about noon, and 
we were under full sail ; but we had scarcely been out two hours, 
when we were obliged to reduce it to a double-reefed mainsail, fore- 
sail, and second-sized jib. With the sail even ^-hus diminished, the 
vessel, at times, almost buried herself ; still, as every part of the 

*In conforjiiity with a condition in tlie contract for the Tessel, she was called tlie 
Caroline. We navigated mth such papers only as our foreign consuls were, at that 
period, in the habit of giving on similar emei-gencies ; the bill of sale and consular 
certificate attached, which were respected by the belligerents. 



44 FIRST VOYAGE. 

equipment was new and strong, I flattered myself with being able to 
weatlier the Cape, and pressed forward through a sea in which wo 
were continually enveloped, cheered with the hope that we had 
nothing worse to experience, and that we should soon be relieved by 
the ability to bear away and make a free wind. I was destined, how- 
ever, to a sad disappointment ; for the wind and sea having increased 
towards midnight, an extraordinary plunge into a very short and sharp 
sea completely buried the vessel, and, with a heavy crash, snapped 
off the bowsprit by the board. The vessel then luffed into the wind, 
in defiance of the helm, and the first shake of the foresail stripped 
it from the bolt rope. 

No other alternative now presented than to endeavor to regain the 
port of Havre ; a task, under existing circumstances, of very difficult 
and doubtful accomplishment. The sea had increased in so great a 
degree, and ran so sharp, that we were in continual apprehension of 
having our decks swept. This circumstance, combined with the sea- 
sickness, which none escaped, retarded and embarrassed the opera- 
tion of wearing round on the other tack. The violent motion of the 
vessel had also prevented the possibility of obtaining sleep ; indeed, 
no person had been permitted to go below before the disaster ; and 
none had the disposition to do so afterwards ; but all were alert in the 
performance of their duty, which had for its immediate object the 
getting of the vessel's head pointed towards Havre. 

This was at length effected ; but, as we had no spar suitable for a 
jury bowsprit, we could carry only such part of our mainsail as was 
balanced by a jib, set in the place of a foresail. With this sail we 
made so much lee way, that it was evident, as soon as daylight 
enabled me to form a judgment, that we could not reach Havre ; nor 
was it less evident, that nothing but an abatem.ent of the gale could 
save us from being stranded before night. With the hope of this 
abatement, the heavens were watched with an intensity of interest 
more easily imagined than described ; but no favorable sign appeared ; 
and before noon we had evidence of being to leeward of the port of 
Havre. We now cleared away the cables and anchors, and secured 
with battens the communications 'with the cabin and forecastle. 
While thus engaged, the man at the mast head announced the appall- 
ing, but expected intelligence, of " breakers under the lee." 



SAFELY LANDED. 45 

This information had the effect of an electric shock to rouse the 
crew from that apathy which was a natural consequence of twenty- 
four hours' exposure to great fatigue, incessant wet and cold, and 
want of sleep and food ; for we had not been able to cook any thing. 
The rapidity with which we were driven to leeward, soon made the 
breakers discernable from deck ; and they were of such extent as to 
leave us no choice whether we headed east or west ; for the forlorn 
hope of being held by our anchors was all that remained to us. No 
one on board possessed any knowledge of the shore we were approach- 
ing ; but our chart denoted it as rocky. It was easy to perceive, that 
to be thrown among rocks, by such a sea, must be the destruction of 
us all. Hence it was of the utmost importance to discover, and to 
anchor off the part of the shore which appeared to be most free from 
rocks ; and with this view the mate was looking out from the mast 
head. As he perceived an apparently clear beach east of us, and 
within our ability of reaching, we steered for it ; and when the water 
was only six fathoms deep, we lowered our sails and came to anchor. 
But as our anchor dragged, a second was let go, which, for a moment 
only, brought the vessel's head to the sea, when one cable parted ; 
and as we were drifting rapidly with the other, we cut it, then hoisted 
the jib, and steered directly for the clear space in the beach. Going 
in with great velocity, on the top of a high breaker, we were soon 
enveloped in its foam, and in that of several others which succeeded. 
The vessel, however, notwithstanding she struck the ground with a 
violence which appeared sufficient to dash her in pieces, still held 
together, in defiance of this and several minor shocks ; and, as the 
tide v/as falling, she soon became so still, and the water so shoal, as 
to enable us to go on shore. 

As the alarm gun had been fired, the peasantry had come down in 
great numbers ; and v/hen they perceived us leaving the vessel, they 
ran into the surf, and, with such demonstrations of humanity and 
kindness as our forlorn situation was calculated to excite, supported 
us to the shore, which we had no sooner reached, than they compli- 
mented us on the judicious selection we had made of a place to come 
on shore. And it was now obvious to us, that if we had struck half 
a mile, either on one side or the other from this spot, there would 
have been scarce a possibility of saving our lives. 



46 FIRST VOYAGE. 

We were fortunate, not only in the selection of the spot, but 
also in the circumstance of its being nearly high water when the 
vessel struck. The concurrence of two such circumstances turned 
the scale in my favor ; and immediately after landing I was con- 
vinced that the vessel and cargo, though much damaged, would both 
be saved. When the tide had so fallen as to leave the vessel dry, 
the inhabitants showed no disposition to take advantage of our dis- 
tress, by stipulating for a certain proportion of what they might 
save, before going to work ; but, prompted by their humane feelings, 
set about discharging the vessel, in such numbers and with such ear- 
nestness, that before sunset she was completely unloaded, and the 
cargo carried above high water mark. 

The gale, towards evening, had very much abated, and, before the 
next high water, was fortunately succeeded by a calm and a great 
decrease of sea. In the mean time, the leaks made in the bottom 
were stopped, as well as time and circumstances would permit ; an 
anchor was carried as far as the retreat of the tide would admit, arid 
the cable hove taut. Having made these dispositions, I engaged a 
pilot and a sufficient number of men to attend, at full tide, to heave 
the vessel off, and to endeavor to remove her into the river Orme, 
which was near by. These arrangements being made, I went with 
my men to an inn, in the neighboring town of Oistreham, to get 
some refreshment, and to pass the night ; compelled by exhaustion 
to place entire dependence on those who were strangers to us, for 
getting the vessel afloat, as well as to secure the cargo from being 
plundered. 

Though worn out by fatigue and anxiety, my distress of mind was 
so great that I could not sleep. The thoughts that I had contracted 
a debt which I might never be able to pay, that no insurance had 
been effected, that, without credit, I might be compelled to sacrifice 
what had been saved to defray the expenses incurred, and that my 
fortune and prospects were ruined, were so incessantly haunting my 
imagination, that the night rather added to, than diminished my feel- 
ings of exhaustion. 

The following morning I found the vessel lying safely in the river 
Orme ; and men were also there, ready to make those temporary 
repairs which were indispensable to enable us to return to Havre. 



PEOCEEI> TO HAVRE. 47 

In the forenoon it was required of me to go to Caen (two or three 
miles distant) for the purpose of making the customary report to the 
municipal authorities, which was a business of very little intricacy 
and very speedy accomplishment. An examination of the vessel 
and cargo satisfied me that the former could be repaired at very 
trifling expense, and the latter was not damaged to much amount. 
The alacrity to render us assistance, in the people of this place, from 
the beginning of our disaster, was extended to the period when, the 
cargo having been transported to the vessel and re-shipped, we were 
prepared to return to Havre. 

As in cases of vessels stranding, it seems to be a practice, sanc- 
tioned by long established usage, (particularly on the other side of 
the channel,) to consider the unfortunate as those abandoned by 
Heaven, from whom may lawfully be taken all that the elements have 
spared, I was prepared for a demand of salvage to a considerable 
amount. But in this expectation I found I had done great injustice to 
these good people ; for, on presenting their account, it appeared they 
had charged no more than for ordinary labor, and that at a very 
moderate rate. It is a circumstance, also, very creditable to them, 
that notwithstanding some packages of the cargo, of much value, and 
of such bulk as to be easily concealed, were in their possession, 
exclusively, for several days and nights, yet nothing was lost. Al- 
though these transactions are of a date so remote, that probably many 
of the actors therein have " ceased from their earthly labors," yet I 
never recall them to mind without a feeling of compunction that I 
had not ascertained the names of the principals in the business, and 
made that public acknowledgement for the disinterested and impor- 
tant services rendered me, which gratitude, no less than justice 
demanded. For this omission my perturbed state of mind is my only 
apology. 

With a favorable wind for Havre, we proceeded for that port, 
where we arrived in about ten days after having sailed from there. 
The reception I met with at Havre, from my friend James Price, Esq. 
of Boston, who was more largely interested in the adventure than any 
other individual excepting myself, was kind and friendly in the 
extreme, and tended to counteract the effects of my deep mortification, 
and to raise my spirits for the prosecution of the original plan. He 



48 FIRST VOYAGE. 

relieved my anxiety relative to the means of defraying the expenses 
of repairs, by engaging to provide them. He gave me a room at his 
house ; and while I was ill there, (for this I did not escape,) he facili- 
tated my recovery by his care and kindness. With such attentions, 
my health was soon re-established, my spirits renewed, and I pursued 
the repairing and refitting the vessel with my accustomed ardor. 

On examination of the cargo, it was found to be very little dam- 
aged. The vessel was considerably injured so near the keel, that it 
was necessary to lay her on blocks, where it was discovered that the 
lower plank was so much broken that several feet of it would require 
to be replaced with new. This being accomplished, the other repairs 
made, and the cargo again put on board, there was nothing to pre- 
vent proceeding immediately to sea, excepting a difficulty in procuring 
men, which seemed to be insurmountable. No one of my former 
crew, excepting a black man, (George,) would try it again. We 
had arrived at the close of the month of November ; and each day's 
delay, by the advance of winter, increased the difficulty and danger 
of our enterprise. Indeed, the westerly gales were already of fre- 
quent occurrence ; the nights had become long, and when I heard the 
bowling winds and beating rain, and recollected in what a frail boat 
I had to contend with them, I wished that my destiny had marked out 
for me a task of less difficult accomplishment. 



CHAPTEU III. 



Difficulty in procuring Men — Partially accomplished — Sail from Havre — A British 
Frigate — Ushant — Sketch of the Crew — Anecdotes of George — His Bravery and 
Fidelity — Swunming after the Pig — British Frigate Stag — Danger of Contact — 
Chased off Cadiz — Boarded from a French Piivateer — Released unharmed — Cape 
de Verde Islands — A Gale — Lose a Cask of Water — Causes a Necessity of Stop- 
ping at Cape of Good Hope — Arrival — Interview witli the Admiral — Jtlany Vis- 
itors — Suspicion of our Object — Interview with Lord Macartney — Searched 
for Papers — Sell the Vessel — Trouble with the Collector — Appeal to Lord Macart- 
ney — Adjusted — The Vessel despatched — Never heard of after. 



J^IH difficulty of procuring men seemed to in- 
crease with each additional day's detention. Those 
whom I engaged one day, would desert the next, 
alarmed by some exaggerated story of our first 
attempt. In the course of three weeks I shipped 
no less than four different men as mates, and as 
many different crews, and each, in turn, abandoned 
me. At length I procured an active and capable 
young seaman from a Nantucket ship, one whom the 
captain recommended, as mate, and another man and a 
boy in addition to George, who had held true to his en- 
gagement. I was desirous of procuring one more, but 
0^'^^ my attempt to do so was unsuccessful ; and fearing that, by 
' ^"^ any delay for this purpose, I might lose those already on 
board, I sailed immediately. 

Our expedition had become a subject of general conversa- 
tion in the town ; and the difficulty of getting away the Indiaman (as she 
was called) was known to every one. The day, therefore, that we 
sailed, the pier-head v/as again thronged with people, who cheered us 
as we passed by, wishing us un ton voyage ; but no small portion of 
them considered us as bound to certain destruction. It was now the 
twenty-first day of December ; a season of the year when the loss 
of a few hours only of the easterly wind, then blowing, might be at- 
5 




50 



FIRST VOYAGE. 



tended with disagreeable, if not disastrous consequences. We there- 
fore set all our sail to improve it, and, while making rapid progress 
towards the channel, were brought to by a British frigate, command- 
ed by Sir R. Strachan. The boarding officer was very civil. He 
declared our enterprise to be a very daring one ; caused us as little 
detention as possible, and, returning to his ship, immediately made 
the signal that we might proceed. 

It was soon very evident that no person on board, excepting the 
mate and myself, was capable of performing the very common and 
indispensable business of steering ; and though there was no doubt 
our men would soon learn, yet, in the mean time, we had the pros- 
pect before us of a tedious, though not very laborious course of duty. 
As the wind continued to be favorable, our passage down the channel 
was easy and expeditious ; and the day after leaving Havre we passed 
by and in sight of the island of Ushant. We were now in a position 
to feel the full effect of the westerly gales, which are so prevalent at 
this season of the year ; and, in order to have plenty of sea-room, in 
case of encountering one, I directed a course to be steered which 
should carry us wide of Cape Ortegal. 

A sufficient time had now elapsed since leaving Havre, (it being 
the third day,) to give me a very tolerable knowledge of my crew ; 
whose characters, peculiarities, and accomplishments were such, that 
a sketch of them may not be without interest to the reader. My 
mate, Reuben Barnes, was a young man of nineteen or twenty, a 
native of Nantucket, who, having been engaged in the whale fishery, 
had profited by that excellent school to acquire, not only the know- 
ledge of the seaman's profession, but also enough of the mechanic 
arts to fish a spar with dexterity, to caulk a seam, or to make a buck- 
et or a barrel. The intelligence, activity, watchfulness, and adroit- 
ness of this young man relieved me from much anxiety and care ; 
and in his conduct while with me, he evinced all the steadiness and 
fidelity which the recommendation he brought, as well as the place 
of his birth, had led me to expect. 

Decidedly the most important personage of my foremast hands was 
the black man George, who had dared to embark on our second voy- 
age, after having shared in the disasters of the first. In his appear- 
ance, capacity, and dialect, George was the veriest negro that can be 



ANECDOTES OF GEORGE. 51 

imagined. For honesty, fidelity, and courage, he may have been 
equalled, but can never have been surpassed. He stood about six feet 
and three inches, was rather slender, very awkward, and of a much 
more sable hue than common, but with an expression of countenance 
mild and pleasing. With simplicity of character approximating to 
folly, he united a degree of self-conceit, which led him to believe 
that he could do whatever could be done by another, and, in some 
cases, to suppose he could make great improvements ; an instance of 
which occurred before we had been out a week. In his previous 
voyages George had been cook, and had therefore nothing to do with 
the compass ; but now, having to take his regular turn at steering, he 
was greatly puzzled with its unsteadiness. He could steer in the 
night with tolerable accuracy, by giving him a star by which to steer; 
but the compass appeared to him to be calculated only to embarrass. 
With a view of remedying this difficulty, George had taken off the 
cover to the till of his chest, on which having marked the points of 
the compass, and pierced a hole in the centre for the pivot, he brought 
it aft, and with great appearance of complacency, and expectation of 
applause, placed it on deck before the helmsman, with the proper 
point directed forward to correspond with the course, and then 
exclaimed, " Dair, massa, dat compass be teady ; George teer by him 
well as anybody." 

But this simplicity and conceit was more than redeemed by his 
tried fidelity and heroic courage, of which the following is a remark- 
able instance. George had been a slave to some planter in Savan- 
nah ; and one day, being in the woods with his master, they encoun- 
tered an Indian, who was hunting. Some dispute arising, the Indian, 
having the advantage of being armed, threatened to shoot them. In 
consequence of this threat they seized him and took away his gun ; 
but after a little while, and with urgent entreaties and fair promises 
from him, they were induced to return it ; first taking the precaution 
to dip it into water, to prevent an immediate use of it. This served 
again to rouse the anger of the Indian, who immediately took the 
readiest means for drying it. In the mean time George and his mas- 
ter had entered a canoe, and, pursuing their way in a narrow river or 
creek, had got a long distance from the spot where they had left the 
Indian ; when, on looking back, they perceived him running after 



52 FIRST VOYAGE. 

them on the bank. On arriving abreast of them he immediately took 
aim, which George perceiving, threw himself, as a shield, between 
his master and the ball, and was so severely wounded that his life 
was, for many weeks, despaired of. After a confinement of six 
months, he entirely recovered ; and, as a reward, his master gave him 
his liberty. 

At the time ,he engaged with me he had been a sailor about two 
years, and had been so invariably cheated out of his wages, that he 
had no other means of clothing himself than the advance I paid him. 
Such treatment had been productive of a tinge of misanthropy ; and 
it was not until after long acquaintance that he gave me his entire 
confidence. As this acquaintance continued for many years, (even 
as long as he lived,) and as he was a sharer of my various adven- 
tures, I shall have frequent occasion to mention his name in connex- 
ion with my own, while narrating them. 

My other man ted been a Prussian grenadier. He had served in 
the army of the Duke of Brunswick, at the time of his invading Hol- 
land to restore the authority of the Stadtholder, and in other cam- 
paigns ; but, having a dislike to the profession, he had deserted, and 
had been, about eighteen months, a sailor in English vessels. Dur- 
ing this time he had not acquired such a knowledge of steering that 
we could leave him at the helm without watching him ; and however 
brave he may have been in the ranks, he was the veriest coward im- 
aginable, when called to the performance of duties aloft. In addi- 
tion to this incapacity, he possessed a most ungovernable temper ; and, 
being a powerful man, we had considerable difficulty in keeping him, 
at all times, in a state of subordination ; a difficulty which was, in 
some degree, augmented by his very imperfect knowledge of our 
language, and the consequent embarrassment he found in making 
himself understood. 

The last, as well as least of our numbers, was a little French boy 
of fourteen years, who possessed all the vivacity peculiar to his coun- 
trymen, and who, having been some time on board the Carmagnole 
and other privateers, had acquired many of the tricks of a finished 
man-of-war's man. Some months' residence in an English prison 
had given him the command of a few English words ; but they were 
not of a selection that indicated much care in the teacher. 



ANECDOTES OF GEORGE. 53 

It was not uncommon for George, the Prussian grenadier, and the 
French boy, to get into a warm debate on the relative merits of their 
respective countries ; for they were all men of great vivacity and 
patriotism ; and sometimes (probably from not understanding each 
other) they would become so angry as to render it necessary for the 
mate to interfere to restore tranquillity. At such moments I used to 
think, that if Hogarth could have been an observer, his genius would 
have done justice to the group. It may fairly be presumed, however, 
that such a ship's company, for an India voyage, was never before 
seen, and, moreover, that " we ne'er shall look upon its like again." 

For several days after passing the Isle of Ushant, the wind was 
light from north-west and west-north-west, accompanied with a heavy 
swell from that quarter; and though our progress was, in consequence, 
slow, it was proportionally comfortable. Before we had reached the 
latitude of Cape Finisterre, the light wind, before which we had 
been sailing with all our canvass spread, died away, and left us, some 
hours, becalmed. During this time one of our pigs had got over- 
board, and was swimming away from the vessel. George, being an 
excellent swimmer, did not hesitate to go after him ; but when he 
had caught him, at the distance from us of about twenty fathoms, a 
light puff of wind, termed by seamen a cat's-paw, took the sails 
aback, and suddenly increased our distance from George, who, per- 
ceiving it, and becoming alarmed, let go the pig, and swam for the 
vessel, crying out lustily, as he approached, " I dead, I dead." As 
he had not been long in the water, nor used such exertion as to cause 
extraordinary exhaustion, I was apprehensive that he might be at- 
tacked by a shark. We threw towards him a spar, and set imme- 
diately about clearing away the boat ; but before we could be ready 
to launch it, George had seized the spar, and, by its aid, had succeed- 
ed in getting along-side. When taken on board he did not hesitate 
to express his belief that our going from him was intentional, and 
that, had the breeze continued, we should have left him for the pur- 
pose of saving his wages. Nor was it until after long experience, 
and repeatedly receiving his wages, when due, that he would acknowl- 
edge that he had judged me erroneously. 

The day succeeding this adventure we had another, which had 
nearly brought our voyage to a close. Early in the morning we fell 
5* 



64 FIRST VOYAGE. 

in with the British frigate, Stag. The wind was so light, and its 
influence on the manoeuvres of the ship so counteracted by a deep 
and hollow swell, that, getting sternway, her counter came in con- 
tact with our broadside with a tremendous force, which threatened 
immediate destruction, and which must have been the result, but for 
the order instantly given and obeyed, to " fill away." This saved 
us from a second shock ; and we were happy to perceive we had re- 
ceived no other damage than that of breaking the rail. The officer of 
the frigate very politely offered to send their carpenter on board to re- 
pair this ; but I declined, from my desire of not losing a moment's 
time in advancing towards those latitudes where gales of wind were 
of less frequent occurrence. When we were released from this visit, 
the mate immediately set about exercising his ingenuity as carpenter ; 
and, with great application, he completed the repairs, in a workman- 
like manner, on the third day after meeting the accident. 

We had now advanced far into the second week of our departure. 
The wind, though light, was fair, and the prospect was favorable for 
the continuance of good weather. These encouraging circumstances 
led me to hope that we should reach the tropical latitudes without 
encountering a gale, and also without meeting, what was more to be 
dreaded, any one of those Spanish or French privateers, which had 
frequented the track we were passing, and whose conduct, in many 
instances, to defenceless merchant vessels, had nearly equalled that 
of the ancient buccaneers. 

We had passed by many vessels, but had carefully avoided speak- 
ing with any one. At length, on a very fine morning, as the sua 
rose, and when we were about fifty leagues west of Cadiz, we per- 
ceived a small sail in the northwest. At ten o'clock she was equally 
plain to be seen ; and by noon we were satisfied she was in chase of, 
and was gaining on us. We kept steadily on our course, hoping that 
an increase of wind would give us an advantage, or that some other 
object might divert their attention. But our hopes were fallacious. 
The wind rather decreased ; and when this was the case, we observ- 
ed she appeared to approach us faster. By two o'clock we perceived 
she had latteen sails, and hence had no doubt of her being a privateer. 
Soon after she began to fire at us, but the balls fell much short. As 
the v/ind continued very light, it was soon apparent that we could 



BOARDED FROM A i'RENCH PRIVATEER. 55 

not escape, as we perceived that her progress was accelerated by- 
means of a multitude of sweeps. To run any longer would o'nly have 
been incurring the risk of irritating the captain of the buccaneer ; we 
therefore rounded to, and prepared to be plundeied. 

As they came up with us, about five o'clock, they gave such a 
shout of " Bonne prise ! honne prise ! " as would be expected from 
banditti subject to no control ; but I felt considerable relief in the 
persuasion that, as their flag indicated, they were French, and not 
Spanish. After the shouting had ceased, I was ordered, in very coarse 
terms, to hoist out my boat and come on board with my papers. I 
"I'eplied that I had not men sufficient to put out the boat. The order 
was reiterated, accompanied with a threat of iiring into us. I then 
sent my men below, and waited the result, which was, that they got 
out their own boat. The officer, who came on board, I suppose to 
have been the captain himself, from the circumstance of his being a 
very intelligent man, and from my presence not being required on 
board the privateer. A cursory examination of our papers convinced 
him of our neutral character ; and the exhibition of a passport with 
a seal and signature of one high in authority in the French govern- 
ment, while it astonished, seemed also to satisfy him, that the less 
trouble and detention he gave us, the better ; as he immediately 
ordered his ruffians to desist from clearing away for opening the 
hatches, which they had already begun, and to go on board their 
boat, where, after wishing me a good voyage, and regretting the de- 
tention he had caused, he joined them ; and they returned to their 
privateer and sailed in pursuit of other adventures. 

The result of this rencontre was better than I had anticipated ; 
aware, as I was, of the general insubordination on board of vessels 
of this description. I had feared, that even if the chief had been 
disposed to prevent his men from plundering, it would not have been 
in his power ; and I was much relieved by finding myself mistaken. 

Pursuing a course for the Cape de Verde Islands, we came ir* sight 
of them the thirtieth day from leaving Havre. It was my intention 
to stop at Port Praya, to obtain a supply of fruit and vegetables ; but 
I was prevented by a gale of wind, in which we lay to twelve hours, 
and naa a fair opportunity of testing the good properties of the vessel 
for this nnportant purpose. This was the only gale of any severity 



56 FIRST VOYAGE. 

that we experienced during tne passage ; and, as evidence that it was 
of no inconsiderable violence, a ship came into the Cape of Good 
Hope three days after our arrival there, which had lost her mizzen- 
mast in the same gale. 

It is well known to all who have crossed the ocean, and may easily 
be imagined by those who have not, that a passage at sea presents to 
the observer little else, from day to day, than the same unbounded, 
and (in tropical climes) unvaried horizon ; the same abyss of waters, 
agitated, more or less, as it is acted upon by the wind ; the same 
routine of duties to be performed onboard, which, in the trade winds, 
have seldom even the ordinary excitement caused by reducing and 
making sail ; and when this monotonous round is interrupted by 
speaking a vessel, by catching a porpoise, or by seeing a whale, the 
incident is seized with avidity as an important item to be inserted in 
the ship's log-book, or journal of the day's transaction. 

As our experience was of this kind, I have only to notice that we 
crossed the equator in the longitude of 25° ; and that we met with 
no occurrence, worthy of note, from the time of our leaving the 
Cape de Verde Islands to our arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, ex- 
cepting that one night, when going before the wind with a strong 
breeze, the Prussian soldier brought over the main boom with such 
violence as to part the sheet, and rouse all hands from their slumbers. 
As there was a considerable sea, it v/as not whhout great difficulty 
and risk that the boom was again secured. 

After passing the equator, we discovered that one of our casks of 
water had nearly leaked out ; and, having failed to fill up the empty 
ones, it was doubtful if we had sufficient to carry us to the Isle of 
France. This consideration, and the desire of obtaining refreshments 
and a short respite from the fatigue and anxiety of such a passage, 
determined me to stop at the Cape ; as I believed, also, that our car- 
go might be sold advantageously there. 

Shaping our course accordingly, we came in sight of the Table 
Mount on the 21st March, 1798, just three months from the time of 
our leaving Havre. Wo were so near in before dark as to perceive 
that we were signalled at the lion's hefid, but were not able to reach 
the anchorage until between nine and ten o'clock in the evening. We had 
scarcely dropped our anchor, when we were boarded by a man-of- 



ARRIVE AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 57 

war's boat ; the officer of which, finding we were from France, im- 
mediately hurried me ashore, in my sea garb, to see the Admiral, 
(Sir Hugh C. Christian,) who, surrounded by a group of naval offi- 
cers, appeared very earnest for such European news as I could give 
them. After passing nearly an hour with the Admiral, who treated 
me with great civility, and answering the many questions which were 
asked by the company, the officer who took me from my vessel was 
desired to convey me on board again; an hour having been previously 
named by the Admiral at which I was' to meet him, the next morn- 
ing, at the government-house. 

The arrival of such a vessel from Europe naturally excited the 
curiosity of the inhabitants of the Cape ; and the next morning, 
being calm, we had numerous visitors on board, who could not dis- 
guise their astonishment at the size of the vessel, the boyish appear- 
ance of the master and mate, the queer and unique characters of the 
two men and boy who constituted the crew, and the length of the 
passage we had accomplished. 

Various were the conjectures of the good people of the Cape, as to 
the real object of our enterprise. While some among them viewed 
it in its true light, that of a commercial speculation, others believed 
that, under this mask, we were employed by the French govern- 
ment for the conveyance of their despatches ; and some even went 
so far as to declare a belief that we were French spies, and, as such, 
deserving of immediate arrest and confinem^ent. Indeed, our enter- 
prise formed the principal theme of conversation at the Cape during 
the week subsequent to our arrival. 

At the hour appointed I presented myself at the government-house, 
and was introduced to the Governor, Lord Macartney, in whose com- 
pany I found, also, the Admiral. There was so much urbanity and 
affability in the reception I met with from the Governor as well as 
the Admiral, that it inspired me with confidence, and prevented my 
feeling any embarrassment. The Governor very politely handed me 
a chair ; and, seated between these two distinguished men, I was pre- 
pared to answer, to the best of my knowledge, such questions as they 
should ask me, and to give them all the late information respecting 
European affairs that my residence in that country, and my recent 
departure, enabled me to do. It was just at this period that the fio- 



58 FIRST VOYAGE. 

tilla were assembling in the ports of the channel for the invasion of 
England ; and on this subject, in particular, they were very earnest 
to obtain information, seeming to be not without apprehension that 
an invasion was really intended. While I related to them what had 
come under my own observation with regard to the preparation, 
and what I had heard from others, I expressed to them my belief, 
founded on the desperate nature of the undertaking, that nothing 
more was intended by it than to keep England in a state of alarm, 
and to cause a corresponding increase of expenses. 

Having interrogated me to their satisfaction on the political affairs 
of France, they adverted to the more humble business of the object 
of my enterprise, which the Admiral did not hesitate to declare he 
believed to be for the conveyance of despatches for the French govern- 
ment ; and, in this belief, informed me that he should take measures 
to prevent my going to the Isle of France. At the same time, and 
as an additional evidence of this persuasion, he had ordered that a 
search should be made on board my vessel for the supposed despatch- 
es, and that all the papers and letters found on board should be 
brought to him. Consequently my journal, book of accounts, and 
private letters and papers were submitted to his inspection ; and the 
letters T had for French gentlemen in the Mauritius were all broken 
open. 

On the conclusion of my visit to the Governor, who gave me per- 
mission to dispose of my cargo here if I desired, I went to the house 
of an old acquaintance, where I had lodged in a former voyage, and 
in what he considered more propitious times. Both he and his family 
seemed glad to see me, and invited me to take up lodgings there 
again ; but the safel}^ of my vessel required my presence on board 
not less in port than at sea, and I therefore declined. 

The day follov/ing, my papers and letters were returned to me by 
the secretary of the Admiral ; and I was surprised by a proposition 
from him for the purchase of my vessel. I delayed giving an answer 
until the next day ; and in the mean time m}^ inquiries led me to 
believe that my cargo would sell advantageously ; but there was 
nothing but specie which would answer my purpose to take away for 
it, and this was prohibited. Widi a provision for the removal of this 
difficulty, and a good price for my vessel, I was prepared to negotiate 



SALE OF CARGO. 



59 



with the secretary. Meeting him, therefore, at the time appointed, 
and both being what in trade is called off-hand men, we soon ciosed 
the bargain, by his engaging to pay me, on delivery of the Caroline 
and stores, five thousand Spanish dollars, and to obtain for me per- 
mission to export ten thousand. This so far exceeded the cost of the 
vessel, and was even so much more than I had expected to receive 
at the Isle of France, that I considered myself already well indemni- 
fied for all my trouble and anxiety. 

As the Admiral was pressing to have the vessel discharged, it was 
my intention to land the cargo, next day, on my own account ; but, 
in the mean time, I contracted with the merchant, at w^hose house I 
now resided, for the whole of it, at a moderate advance on the invoice ; 
it being agreed that he was to pay the duties, the expense of landing, 
&c. My spirits were now much elevated w-ith my success, and with 
the prospect of soon being rid of the Caroline and of the care insep- 
arable from having such a vessel, so circumstanced. 

But I was allowed but a short period to my exultation ; new and 
alarming difficulties awaUed me, of which I had no suspicion, and 
which were more harassing than the dangers of the winds and the 
waves. It appeared that the duties on entries at the custom-house 
were a percentage on the invoice, and that it was a very common 
practice with the merchants to make short entries. The purchaser 
was aware that, to stand on equal footing with other merchants, he 
must do as they did ; but he seems not to have reflected that, being 
known to be more hostile to the English government than any other 
individual at the Cape, he would be rigidly watched, and, if detected, 
would have less indulgence than any other. The consequence was 
a detection of the short entry and seizure of vessel and cargo. The 
merchant went immediately, in a supplicating mood, to the collector, 
in the hope of arranging the affair before it should become generally 
known ; but it was all in vain. 

The only alternative which seemed now to be left me, was to 
appeal to the highest authority ; and I determined to write to Lord 
Macartney, and prove to him that, by my contract for the sale of the 
cargo, the duties were not to be paid by me, and that, consequently., I 
should have derived no benefit had the attempt for evading them, suc- 
ceeded ; but that, on the other hand, if the vessel and cargo were to 



60 FIRST VOYAGE. 

be confiscated, I should be the sufferer, as it was doubtful if the 
merchant could make good the loss. I hoped that he might thus be 
induced to advise a less severe course than the collector intended to 
pursue. But how to write a suitable letter embarrassed me. I had 
no friend with whom to advise. I was entirely ignorant of the manner 
of addressing a nobleman, and at the same time was aware of the 
necessity of doing it with propriety. In this dilemma, I remembered 
to have seen, in an old magazine on board, some letters addressed to 
noblemen. These I sought as models ; and they were a useful guide 
to me. After I had completed my letter in my best hand, and 
enclosed it in a neat envelope, I showed it to the Admiral's secretary, 
who appeared to be friendly to me. He approved of it, and advised 
my taking it myself to his Lordship immediately. 

As the schoolboy approaches his master after having played truant, 
so did I approach Lord Macartney on this occasion. I delivered my 
letter to him ; and, after hastily reading it, he sternly said, " he could 
not interfere in the business ; there were the laws, and if they had 
been infringed, the parties concerned must abide the consequence ; " 
but added, " he would speak to the collector on the subject." This 
addition, delivered in rather a milder tone, led me to encourage the 
hope that the affair would not end so disastrously as if left entirely 
to the discretion of the collector. Nor were my hopes unfounded ; 
as, the next day, the vessel, and that part of the cargo yet remaining 
on board, were restored to me ; while the portion in possession of the 
collector was to be adjudged in the fiscal court, where it was event- 
ually condemned, to the amount of about two thousand dollars.* 
The success of my letter was a theme of public conversation in the 
town, and was the means of procuring me the acquaintance of several 
individuals of the first respectability. 

The delay, caused by this controversy with the collector, was un- 
favorable to the views of the Admiral, who began to evince symptoms 
of impatience, and would, probably, have taken out the cargo with his 
own men, if we had not set about it with earnestness as soon as the 
vessel was released from seizure. Having, the day following, com- 
pleted the unlading, I delivered the vessel to the officer who was au- 

* As a favor to the merchant, I consented to share the loss with him. 



SALE OP VESSEL. 61 

tborized to take possession. In two days after, she was expedited, with 
a lieutenant and competent number of men (I believe for India) ; 
and, in a subsequent voyage, I learned that she had never been heard 
of afterwards. It is probable that the officer in charge, having been 
accustomed only to large and square-rigged vessels, was not aware 
of the dehcacy of management which one so small and differently 
rigged, required ; and to this her loss may be attributed. 

The various drawbacks on my cargo, arising from seizure, some 
damage, and some abatement, reduced the net proceeds to about the 
original cost. This, with the amount of the vessel, I collected in 
Spanish dollars, making together, after my various disbursements, the 
sum of eleven thousand dollars, which I kept in readiness to embark 
in the first vessel that should enter the bay on her way to India or 
China. I was obliged, however, to wait several months before any 
such chance offered. In the mean time my long residence and 
leisure at the Cape afibrded me the opportunity of becoming acquaint- 
ed with many families, and of visiting many places in the vicinity of 
Cape Town. 

6 



CHAPTER IV. 



Description of the Cape — Of the Town — Effects of Southeast Wind — Devil's Table 
Cloth — Season of Westerly Gales — Dangerous to the Shipping — Loss of the 
Sceptre— Loss of Ship Jefferson— Notice of the Inhabitants — Their Feelings under 
the actual Government — Simon's Bay — Constantia — Signal Hill — Residence and 
Eesource of the Man stationed there — Table Mountain — The Ascent and View 
therefrom — Perilous Situation — Mode of Eescue — Descent and Eetum to Town. 




^J^IS of Good Hope is very rema^rkable in its form- 
ation ; so much so, as to make a lasting impression 
on the memory of those who have once seen it. 
The group of lofty and steep hills, called the Devil's 
Mount, the Table-Land, the Sugar-loaf, and the 
Lion's Eump, form a barrier on the south and 
the east sides of the town, which appears almost 
impassable. On a plain, at the foot of these hills, and 
on the border of Table Bay, is situated the beautiful town 
of the Cape. It presents a fine appearance when seen 
from the bay, and seems to possess all that neatness which 
is an acknowledged characteristic of the Dutch. The streets 
are parallel to each other, and are kept very clean. There 
is a large square for a parade ground, at the north part of the 
town, which is bounded by a canal bordered with a double 
row of trees. The Company's garden, as it is called, is a space of 
fifteen or twenty acres on the east side of the town. It is enclosed 
by a wall, and laid out in handsome walks, and forms one of the 
most delightful lounges in the world. In a retired part of this garden, 
and almost hidden with trees, is the residence of the Governor. 
Most of the houses consist of two stories, and are covered with plas- 
ter ; which being whitewashed every year, they have an uncommonly 
neat appearance. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE CAPE. 63 

During the sumnier months the inhabitants are greatly annoyed by 
the clouds of sand which are raised by the southeast wind, which is 
often so violent as to compel them to keep within doors, and pene- 
trates into all the crevices of doors and windows which have not been 
carefully closed. These gales, which last two or three days, are fol- 
lowed by calms and light variable winds for the same length of time. 
During these gales, and for some time before, the top of the table- 
land is enveloped in thick clouds, which the people of the Cape call 
the Devil's Table-cloth. Although these winds are often so violent 
as to prevent communication with the shipping in the bay, yet they 
are rarely the cause of any disaster. Not so with the westerly gales, 
which prevail in the months of June, July, and August, and bring in a 
sea v/hich it is impossible to resist. 

A melancholy instance of the power of these gales was seen in 
the loss of the English sixty-four-gun ship Sceptre, with nearly all 
her crew. The Dutch East Indiamen were exclusively confined to 
the use of Simon's Bay at this season of the year. In times of peace 
it was common for the vessels of all nations, on their way to and 
from India, to touch at this place for refreshments ; and then, almost 
every house was open for the reception of the captains and officers 
for a moderate compensation. But the vexations, experienced by 
neutral commerce at this period, v/ere enough to discourage most 
navigators from stopping there. Vv^hile I was there, the ship Jeffer- 
son of Boston was compelled to come in from having been six months 
on her way from Boston to India. The suspicions of the government 
were roused ; and, not satisfied with the examination of the log-book 
and papers, they caused her to be entirely unladed. And although she 
was at length released, yet before she could get away, a gale came on 
from the west, in which she went ashore and was totally lost. 

The climate of the Cape is very healthy ; which blessing many of 
the inhabitants attribute to the prevalence of the high winds ; yet it 
is observed that instances of longevity are very rare, and that few 
old persons are met with. The native citizens are, for the most part, 
hospitable, friendly, and affable. A love of ease and relaxation, and 
an aversion to much activity of body or mind, are striking character- 
istics in the men. The ladies are, generally, very pretty, have fine 
complexions, graceful and pleasing manners, and cultivated minds. 



64 FIRST VOYAGE. 

The invariable and universal siesta causes a midnight silence and seclu- 
sion for the two or three hours immediately succeeding dinner. All 
the domestics, and most of the mechanics, are slaves ; and, as far as 
I had an opportunity of observing, they are treated with more human- 
ity than is generally supposed. Notwithstanding the increase of 
buildings, and the rise in value of real estate, as well as various 
other advantages, felt by the inhabitants since they submitted to the 
English government, there was, nevertheless, observable in many an 
impatience of a foreign yoke, a feeling of being a conquered people, 
and a sense of degradation, which was very natural, and which would 
not be easily effaced even under the mild and equitable government of 
the English. 

In company with a native merchant I made an excursion to Simon's 
Bay, and to the pretty estate of Constantia. Not being able to procure 
lodgings on shore, we passed a night on board an American ship, 
which, together with several English men-of-war and Indiamen, was 
lying for security in Simon's Bay. At Constantia we were entertained 
with great hospitality and politeness by the proprietor, who showed us 
every part of his beautiful estate, which, for extreme neatness, as 
well as for profit, is unrivalled. The wine made at this place is 
well known in Europe and in the United States ; though it is said 
that more than treble the quantity produced on this estate is annually 
sold under the name of Constantia. Its peculiar flavor is attributed 
to the properties of the soil ; all attempts to produce the same else- 
where having failed. 

An excursion to the flag-staff on Sugar-Loaf Hill was an after- 
noon's labor of no easy accomplishment. Before reaching the top, 
there are several perpendicular precipices of ten to fifteen feet to 
climb ; and ropes are fastened to bolts, inserted in the rocks, to aid the 
ascent. The man, who is stationed here to signal the approach of 
vessels, is provided with a small brass cannon and several flags ; the 
former to announce a sail in the horizon, and, at the same time, to 
attract the attention of the citizens ; the latter to denote the kind of 
vessel and the nation to which she belongs. By these means informa- 
tion of the approach of a vessel is given many hours before her ar- 
rival in the bay. The habitation of this man is so confined that his 
residence there would be considered a cruel punishment, were it not vol- 



TABLE MOUNTAIN. 65 

tintary. It is a mere dog-kennel, partly formed by the rock, and 
partly artificial, but barely sufficient to shelter one person, in a sitting 
posture, from the rays of the sun and from the inclemency of the 
weather. The greatest interior space does not exceed five feet, from 
the den to the perpendicular precipice. A slave brings him his daily 
provisions and water; and this is the only opportunity the recluse has 
for conversation during the day. My visit was, therefore, considered 
by him as a kind of God-send, for which he appeared to be very 
grateful, and which he begged me to repeat. 

The excursion over the Table Mountain, which is three thousand 
five hundred and eighty-two feet above the level of the ocean, was 
an undertaking of such labor as to require the greater part of a day 
to perform it. It was advisable, also, on many considerations, to 
make up a party for the purpose. Accordingly, having engaged the 
mate of the Jefferson, and my own mate, to accompany me, we set 
out together on a fine, clear morning, provided with refreshments, 
but without a guide, not doubting, with the information given us, of 
being able to find our way. We met with no embarrassment in reach* 
ing the chasm, on one side of which were the craggy and irregular 
steps, by which only we could work our way to the top. The task 
was arduous, and required two hours of great exertion for its accom- 
plishment. The day continued to be very clear ; and the view amply 
repaid the toil of the ascent. It was limited on the north by high, 
irregular, and distant mountains ; on the south and east by the ocean ^ 
and an horizon greatly extended ; on the west by the bay with its 
shipping diminished to the size of such toys as children play with ; 
and immediately beneath us was the town, its gardens and streets, 
distinctly seen, though its inhabitants could not be distinguished with 
the unaided eye. 

A large part of the day was passed in rambling about the top of 
the mountain, and enjoying the extensive and beautiful views from it ; 
and the time had arrived to think of descending. Desirous of return- 
ing by a different route, 1 attempted to find a new one in a chasm, 
which^ from the imperfect view I could take of it, resembled the path 
we had ascended. But the better to satisfy myself, with great diffi- 
culty and imminent danger of falling, I climbed down a precipice of 
about twelve feet, and found myself upon a bridge formed by the 
6* 



66 FIRST VOYAGE. 

falling away of the rock within the chasm, and extending across 
about twenty feet. Its width varied from two to four feet ; and it 
seemed, where narrowest, as if any additional weight would cause it 
to give way. On either side, and beneath this bridge, was an abyss, 
of which I could scarcely see the bottom ; it being fifteen hundred, 
or, perhaps, two thousand feet deep. I now saw plainly that I must 
return by the way I came ; as, at the other end of the bridge, the 
height was the same, and the rocks jutted over. I made known to my 
companions my perilous situation, and that a slip in climbing must be 
attended with certain destruction. In order, therefore, to help me 
up again, Mr. Barnes lay on the ground, and held his jacket over the 
precipice^ while the mate of the Jefferson held Barnes to prevent his 
being pulled over. With this management, and the scanty support I 
could find for my feet, I succeeded in gaining the summit, and in 
escaping from a situation so perilous, that, even at this day, I do not 
recur to it without shuddering. After this I attempted no more to 
find a new way, but descended as we had come up ; and, before 
sunset, arrived at my lodgings very much fatigued. 



CHAPTEE V 



Impatience to be off — Embark for Batavia-^ Chased by a Brig— Outsail her— AjC^ 
rival at Batavia — Governor's Surprise at our quick Passage — Hotel — American 
Commerce — Effect of the Climate on Europeans-^ilarket — The Bay— ^Sharks 
and Alligators — No Opportunity to freight to the United States— -Embark for China 
— Am val at Macao — A Typhon — Lose an Anchor — Arrive at Whampoa — At 
Canton — Embarrassment as to next Destination — -Arrival and Purchase of an 
English Cutter — Associates in the Adventure — Factories -^Recourse of Beggars 
to compel Alms — Enter the City — Result. 



^M12 than four months had elapsed since my 
arrival at the Cape ; and, during that period, no 
opportunity had offered for India. My impatience 
to be away was now so great, that I determined to 
embrace any chance that presented itself for going 
to the east, without regard to the particular place ; 
and, on the first of August, the brig Betsey having 
touched in the bay, in a short passage from Balti- 
more, bound to Batavia, I embarked in this vessel, taking 
with me the proceeds of my vessel and cargo in Span- 
ish dollars. I was accompanied by my black man 
George, for whom I had contracted an attachment, which 
was evidently reciprocal. 

The day after leaving the Cape, we had a strong westerly 
wind and a considerable sea, and, at noon, while making 
©fiM"®" rapid progress on our way, we discovered a brig standing 
on a wind across us, which we had reason to suppose was a cruiser. 
As our vessel was a remarkably swift sailer, we decided not to sub- 
mit to the trouble and detention which a visit would cause, and there- 
fore kept steadily on our course, which, being towards him, induced 
the belief that we intended to speak him, and prevented the prepara- 
tion he would have made had he known our intention. When just 




68 FIRST VOYAGE. 

clear of gun shot, we altered our course two points ; on seeing 
which he immediately fired, and instantly set about getting up top- 
gallant masts and yards, and crowding all sail after us ; but it was 
like the tortoise in pursuit of the hare. Before dark his hull was not 
to be seen. 

We had a continuance of the strong westerly winds until we enter^ 
ed the trades, south of the island of Java ; and our arrival at Bata-> 
via, on the first of September, in only thirty days from the Cape, was 
a circumstance so extraordinary, that it required the confirmation of 
letters which we carried to convince the Governor of the fact. 

I took rooms at the great public hotel ; and here, as well as in othef 
buildings in the city, there were traces of the splendor which had 
attended the better days of the Dutch East India Company. The 
spacious rooms were painted in a tawdry, but expensive manner, in 
red and gold, or blue and gold. The furniture was as massive and 
costly as it could be made ; a band of a dozen slaves always- played 
during dinner ; and a multitude of servants, shabbily dressed, were 
in attendance. Every thing about the establishment indicated an at- 
tempt at magnificence, which was but ill-supported by the present 
state of Dutch commerce. 

Most of the strangers, who then visited Batavia, were Americans ^ 
and there were few, or none of them, whose appetites required the 
stimulus of a band, or who had sufficient taste for oriental luxuries 
to be willing to contribute to them further than custom rendered 
necessary. 

Batavia is built on a flat, which extends ten or twelve leagues* 
Most of its streets have canals of stagnant water, which are, doubt- 
less, among the causes of the fevers so prevalent there ; as these are 
avoided by taking a residence five or six miles in the country. The 
houses generall}^ are built of brick, plastered and whitewashed 5 and 
the apartments are spacious and well-adapted to the climate. But, 
notwithstanding all their luxuries, most of the residents show, by 
their pallid countenances and emaciated figures, that they are sacri- 
ficing health to gain. Yet the certainty of this does not prevent ad- 
venturers from seeking their fortunes there, apparently blinded to 
consequences by the eagerness of pursuit. 

The Chinese constitute much the largest and most industrious part 



BATAVIA. 69 

of the population. They inhabit the suburbs, and are said to amount 
to seventy or eighty thousand. The domestics are principally Malay 
slaves, and are considered much less docile than the Africans. The 
market of Batavia is well supplied with all the delicious fruits, which 
are peculiar to the tropical climates. Pine-apples, in particular, are 
very abundant, and so cheap that a hundred may be obtained for a 
dollar. Animal food, beef and mutton particularly, is, as in most 
tropical countries, generally poor and without flavor. Fowls are very 
abundant and cheap. The natives here, as in India, live principally 
on rice, which is very cheap and much cultivated. The bay is spa- 
cious ; and the ships ride with safety therein, screened from the only 
wind which could injure them by seventeen or eighteen very pretty 
islands, which are not less ornamental than serviceable. The alliga- 
tors and sharks are very numerous ; and instances are related of 
boats being upset on the bar, and their whole crews devoured by 
them.* Those whom business shall lead to Batavia, for there can 
be no other inducement, will remain there no longer than is absolutely 
necessary. 

It was very evident, soon after my arrival, that I need only be 
detained until I could take passage for China ; for, though the com- 
parative vulue of the produce of the island here and in the United 
States offered a profit of one and a half to two capitals, yet there was 
no one of the several vessels lying here which could take freight ; all 
having sufficient capital to lade on their own account. If I could 
have invested the amount of my property in a freight of coffee, for the 
United States, I should have made a very short and lucrative voyage. 
But my efforts proving unsuccessful to effect this, I took advantage 
of an opportunity which was offered in the ship Swift, of New York, 
j/or Canton, after having spent ten days at Batavia. For I was well 
^^ aware, that though I might not be able to ship such bulky articles as 
coffee or sugar, there was no doubt of my finding room enough for 
the fabrics of China, in which a much greater capital than I possessed 
could be invested so as to occupy but a small space. 

Having removed my baggage and specie from the Betsey to the 



* It "would therefore be the extreme of rashness to bathe in the bay, though the 
neat renders the deshre of doing so very strong. 



70 FIRST VOYAGE. 

Swift, we sailed next morning, the 12th of September, for Canton, in 
company with two of the Danish East India Com^iany's ships, the 
commanders of which agreed to keep company with us through the 
straits of Banca, for mutual security against any attack of the Malay 
pirates. Our ships sailed so nearly alike, that no day passed when 
we were not within speaking distance : and when the weather was 
fine, and the sea smooth, which was often the case, we exchanged 
visits. The commodore had a band on board ; and in the bright moon- 
light evenings, when the breeze was only sufficient to keep the sails 
from flapping against the masts, and the ripple of the ship's passage 
through the waters scarcely heard, the music of this band was so 
delightful, that it even now brings back the most pleasing associations, 
whenever memory retraces the incidents of this passage. 

We were compelled, by calms and the darkness of the night, to 
anchor two or three times in the straits of Banca, but met with no 
embarrassment from pirates, or from rocks and shoals. It was, how- 
ever, apparent that, although we had taken care to keep well to the 
eastward, we only secured our passage ; having taken the northeast 
wind so many days before our arrival, that we with difficulty gained 
the anchorage in Macao roads. The three ships arrived at this 
place within a few hours of each other, after a passage of thirty-one 
days from Batavia. 

The Danish ships, having agents at Macao, procured pilots, and 
proceeded to Whampoa without delay ; but we were not so for- 
tunate as to obtain a pilot, and were obliged, in consequence, to 
wait a week in the roads. During this period we encountered a 
typhon, which blew with such violence, and caused such a sea, 
that, although our yards and topmast were struck, we parted a cable, 
lost an anchor, and were in danger of being driven out to sea ; but, 
after drifting several miles, finally brought up with the other anchor. 
After the weather became again settled, it was judiciously determined 
by the captain to remain no longer in so exposed a situation ; and, 
having procured a fisherman to pilot us as far as Anson's Bay, which 
is a safe anchorage at the entrance of the river Tigris, we arrived 
and anchored there, without further embarrassment. 

Here, Captain White received a letter from the captain of the 
Ontario, a ship belonging to the same owners, informing him of his 



WHAMPOA. 71 

safe arrival at Whampoa, and the exertions he was making to send 
him a pilot. He mentioned that he was in want of a first and second 
officer. This circumstance appeared to offer a favorable opening for 
me ; inasmuch as, if I could obtain the chief mate's office, the privi- 
lege attached to it would insure the transport of all my property. 
I therefore settled it in my mind that this was my destination. Hav- 
ing waited three days more, and no pilot appearing, Captain White 
determined to go up to Whampoa in his own boat ; and I accom- 
panied him. Soon after leaving the ship we were overtaken by a 
heavy shower, which wet us completely through. When above 
second bar, towards evening, the tide set so strong against us, that, 
perceiving we made no headway, we determined to go on board a 
Swedish ship, then lying at the bar, and there wait the return of the 
flood. We were received with great hospitality, and, during our visit, 
were treated with as much kindness as if we had been conferring, 
rather than receiving a benefit. We remained with these friendly 
people until ten o'clock in the evening, when, the tide having turned, 
we took leave, and pursued our course towards Whampoa, but, unfor- 
tunately, by mistaking our course, and getting into a wrong branch 
of the river, were out all night, and did not arrive on board the Onta- 
rio before eight o'clock in the morning. A good breakfast renewed 
our energies for pursuing our course to Canton, Vv'here I was the 
more anxious to arrive, from the fear that the office I sought might 
be filled by another before my arrival. We started, therefore, as 
soon as the flood tide came in. Arriving at the Ontario's factory, I 
had the mortification to learn from the commander that he had en- 
gaged an officer only the day previous. Thus, this resource failed 
me. As I had confidently counted upon it, and as fancy had been 
busy in anticipating a meeting with my friends at home under such 
favorable circumstances, my disappointment was very great. 

The next plan v/as to freight my property in some one of the 
American ships ; a thing, usually, of very easy accomplishment; but, 
8t this time, it was not practicable at such a rate as I felt myself war- 
ranted in paying. It then occurred to me that I might obtain a small 
premium on my money to Calcutta, and that there I should be able 
to lay in an investment for the United States, and freight it from 
thence on better terms than I could make here. With this impression 



72 FIRST VOYAGE. 

I was about contracting with the captain of the country ship Zoroas- 
ter to let him have my money on respondentia, and to embark with 
him for Calcutta. But before definitely closing this negotiation, a lit- 
tle English cutter arrived at Whampoa from the Northwest Coast of 
America, and was offered for sale. This suggested to me an enter- 
prise which would be attended with great difficulties and dangers, but 
which offered a prospect of fortune in proportion. As my means alone 
were not sufficient to buy this vessel and to put in a cargo suitable for 
a voyage to the Northwest Coast, I engaged the assistance of Messrs. 
D. Green and E. Towsend, of New Haven, and purchased this cutter, 
of about fifty tons burden ; two thirds for my account and one third 
for theirs ; having abandoned my Calcutta plan. . She v/as called the 
Dragon ; but as my papers were for the Caroline, I changed her name 
accordingly. From the remnants of the cargo of a Boston vessel, 
returned from the Northwest Coast, and such articles as I could pro- 
cure from the shops at Canton, I made up a very suitable investment 
to the amount of nine thousand dollars. 

By the time I was ready to sail on this enterprise, nearly three 
months had elapsed since my arrival at Canton ; during which period 
my expenses had been moderate, from having the good fortune of 
associating myself with the inmates of the Elizabeth's factory. The 
factories are handsome houses, built in the European style, on the 
margin of the river, for the accommodation of those who have busi- 
ness to transact at Canton. They are generally of two stories ; the 
lower being used as warehouses. They are whitewashed, and, with 
their respective national flags displayed on a high staff before them, 
make a very pretty appearance. In former times the ships came and 
returned with a regularity of the monsoons ; and the resident super- 
cargoes, during their absence, were not permitted to remain at Can- 
ton, but removed to the Portuguese town of Macao. This routine 
has, of late years, been broken up by the disregard of etiquette and 
the established seasons, on the part of the Americans, who, coming; 
and going all the year round, have inverted all the ancient rules of 
doing business at Canton. 

In the rear of the factories, and spreading out on either side, are 
the houses and shops of those merchants and mechanics who derive 
their support from trading with foreigners ; a dense and active popu- 



CANTON. 73 

latlon, who evince a shrewdness in their dealings not surpassed by 
those strangers who traffic with them, and who are too apt to treat 
them with contempt. The police of this portion of the community 
is so lax, that petty thefts are very common, and rarely punished. 
An additional evidence of this laxity is also manifested in the occa- 
sional practice of beggars, who extort alms from the shopkeepers by 
covering themselves with a coat of the most filthy odor, and thus 
rendering themselves so disgusting that the shopkeepers, to prevent 
their coming in, stand ready at the door with the contribution. Great 
numbers of the poor population are born, reared, and die in small 
boats of twelve to fifteen feet long, which have a bamboo covering 
to screen them from the sun and from the inclemency of the weather ; 
and in no other part of the world, perhaps, is it so clearly demon- 
strated in how little space, and on what slender means, man may 
subsist. 

The Chinese are decided idolaters, and have an annual show and 
procession for propitiating an evil demon. They have numerous 
houses of worship, in which are kept images of gods, which resemble, 
in some respects, those of the most barbarous nations of Indians. At 
one of these houses, on the opposite side of the river, were several 
of the priesthood, whose dress bore some resemblance to that of 
Franciscan friars, and whose business was principally to take care of 
the sacred hogs. These were about twenty in number, and were in 
an inclosure. They are never killed, but are left to die in the regu- 
lar course of time ; and several of them were so unwieldy that it 
was not without great difficulty they could move themselves a few 
feet one way or the other. 

The pertinacity with which the Chinese adhere to the ancient prac- 
tice of interdicting to strangers the entrance of their city, is still un- 
diminished. Having in one of my excursions come near to the 
gate, and observing no one on duty to prevent the entrance of stran- 
gers, I walked in, and had proceeded a distance of about thirty feet, 
when a hue and cry was made ; and a dozen people came running 
up to me, and, with earnest looks and violent gesture, pointed to the 
gate, and indicated, by signs that could not be mistaken, that I must 
return. 1 did not hesitate to comply with wishes so clearly man- 
ifested, and where the power of enforcing them was so apparent. 



74 FIRST VOYAGE. 

Within the wall I saw nothing in the appearance of the streets and 
houses differing from those without ; and I am induced to believe 
that the rigor, in forbidding access to foreigners, arises from the ob- 
servance of the customary Asiatic jealousy with regard to the women. 
Of the character, manners, customs, and habits of the Chinese, so 
much better accounts are given by those who have had greater oppor- 
tunities of observing, that I shall not attempt to describe them. 



CHAPTER VI. 



j Information from Boston — Difficulty of obtaining Men — Northeast Monsoon — A 
i Choice of Difficulties — Sail from Anson's Bay — Anchoring when the Tides were 
against us — Narrow Escape— Rocks and Shoals — Struck and stopped on a sunk- 
en Ledge — Came off as the Tide rose — Anchor, and procure Water and Wood — 
Cmiosity of the People — Stormy Weather — Pass through a Breaker xmhurt 
— Keep Company with a Chinese Fleet — They enter Amoy — Anchor outside — 
Dangerous Navigation — Island of Kemoy— Mutiny — Means of subduing it — 
Leave six Men behind— Visit from a Chinese — Weather the North End of Formo- 
sa — Heavy Gales across the Pacific — Discontent of the Crew. 



"ST a recent arrival from Boston I learned that sev- 
eral vessels were fitting from thence for the North- 
west Coast ; and as my success depended mainly 
on arriving there before them, I spared no exertion 
for the accomplishment of this purpose. But for 
this information it had been my intention to wait 
until the strength of the monsoon had diminished. 
To procure a competent number of men was a task 
of such difficulty, that, when any one offered his ser- 
vices, I was not very particular in inquiring whence he 
came, or how well he was qualified ; it was sufficient for 
my purpose if he was a white man, and presented an ap- 
pearance of health and strength ; for it was indispensable to 
our safety with the Indians that our crew should be com- 
posed of Europeans or Americans. Most of my men were 
deserters from Indiamen ; and these were generally the 
worst of a bad crev/. With such as I could procure, however, I at 
length completed my complement, sixteen men before the mast, four- 
teen of whom were English and Irish, and two Americans. In the 
cabin we were five in number, including George, who acted as stew- 
ard, and the linguist ; making together twenty-one. The vessel was 
remarkably strong and well built ; well coppered ; mounted ten brass 




76 FIRST VOYAGE. 

four-pound cannon ; with a proper number of muskets, pistols, 
pikes, &c. 

At this season of the year the northeast monsoon was blowing 
with its greatest force, and the current was strong in proportion. No 
track could be pointed out, therefore, by which we could arrive at 
such a northern latitude as to be free from the influence of the trade 
wind, which was not fraught with difficulties and dangers. The most 
direct course was to pass between the southern end of Formosa and 
the northern point of Luzon, by the Bashee Islands. But here, the 
effect of such a sea as would be met, upon so short a vessel, combin- 
ed with a strong lee current, presented obstacles sufficient to discour- 
age the attempt. To follow the track of Captain Meares, at the 
same season of the year, in 1788, by going south, and endeavoring 
to get our easting on the equator, would doubtless be the easiest meth- 
od ; but would unavoidably take up so much time as to defeat my 
object. The course w^hich appeared to me to offer the best prospect 
of success, though attended with more danger than either of the 
others, was to beat up along the shore of the coast of China. For I 
was persuaded that the small size of my vessel would enable me to 
keep so near the shore as sometimes to have a favorable current ; to 
be protected, occasionally, by a projecting point, from the roughness 
of the sea ; and to come to anchor when it appeared that we were 
losing ground. The attempt, I was aware, was an arduous and haz- 
ardous one ; and of its impracticability I was assured by some of the 
most experienced navigators in those seas. But I considered that a 
failure, by arriving too late on the coast, would be equally disastrous 
with any misfortune that could arise from making the attempt. I 
was also the more encouraged to make the trial, as I could not learn 
that it had ever been attempted at the same season of the year ; con- 
sequently, that my advisers were not warranted in declaring so con- 
fidently that it was impracticable. 

With such impressions, with my vessel well equipped, and with a 
crew whose appearance made it difficult to believe that most of them 
had not been familiar with crime, I sailed from Anson's Bay on the 
10th of January, 1799, in the morning. Having a strong breeze, we 
passed Macao Roads at four P. M., at a long distance from the ship- 
ping, fearing we might be brought to, and our men taken out. Dur- 



NARROW ESCAPE. 77 

ing the night, we passed between the Lema Islands and very near to 
one of them ; which I ventured to do, from the local knowledge pos- 
sessed by the chief mate. The inconvenience, arising from the 
want of a chart of the coast and Islands, was immediately experienc- 
ed. The small and imperfect one I possessed was not of the least 
use, and hence our utmost vigilance was constantly required. In the 
morning and forenoon of the 11th, we made several tacks off and 
on ; but the current was so strong against us, that notwithstanding we 
had a fresh breeze and smooth sea, we gained nothing to windward ; 
and as we had not been able to complete our watering and wooding 
at Anson's Bay, we went in and anchored near a small fishing town 
for this purpose. 

Here, we were soon visited by as great a number of the inhabit- 
ants as boats could be found to convey. Both old and young, of 
either sex, came off to see the Fanquis, as they called us. Among 
them was one who spoke the Portuguese language ; and who, for a 
moderate compensation, procured for us the supply we required. In 
the mean time the numbers had greatly increased, and evinced a 
strong desire to come on board. As it would have been very impru- 
dent to permit this, I found myself obliged to station men in different 
parts of the vessel, with boarding pikes, to keep them off. 

In the afternoon, the current appearing to have diminished, we 
weighed anchor, and perceived, towards evening, that we had gained 
considerably ; but, as there were appearances of bad weather, and 
we were abreast a deep bay which promised a shelter, we ran in 
and came to anchor ; and thus escaped the fatigue and danger of a 
stormy night at sea. From eight o'clock in the morning until late in 
the afternoon of the 12th, our efforts to gain to windward were inef- 
fectual ; indeed, such was the force of the current, that we could not 
reach the place we had left in the morning ; and the succeeding night, 
it being calm, we were obliged to lie at anchor outside. The next 
day, (13th,) having but a light breeze, we used our sweeps ; by the 
aid of which, and keeping close in shore, we advanced a little. In 
beating through a narrow strait, formed by a point of the coast and a 
rocky island, against which the sea broke with great fury, and at the 
critical moment when passing not more than fifteen yards to wind- 
ward, the peak halyards slipped from the pin to which they were 
7* 



78 FIRST VOYAGE. 

belayed, and the peak of the mainsail ran down. As all hands were 
on deck, it was instantly hoisted again ; but such was the force of the 
swell, the wind being light, that before we had got by we were 
thrown so near the rock as to reach it with an oar. After this escape 
we stood out to sea, with the wind from east-northeast, blowing in the 
night very strong, which caused a considerable increase of sea. 
This obliged us to carry a press of sail, and presently our jib split ; 
we then reefed the mainsail, set a second-sized jib, and a little after 
midnight tacked in shore. 

At daylight of the 14th we were not a little elated to find our- 
selves considerably to windward of the place we left the last evening, 
notwithstanding a rough sea. We continued all day successfully 
plying to windward, and in the evening, it being calm, we anchored 
fifteen fathoms. All day of the 15th we had light airs and calms 
by turns ; so that when we could gain nothing by the help of our 
sweeps, we anchored ; and when the breeze came, weighed again ; 
by these means we advanced, though very slowly and with much 
labor. 

In the forenoon of the 16th, the weather being calm, we rowed in 
shore and anchored under the lee of an island, and near a very exten- 
sive sandy beach, not far from a fishing town. The inhabitants 
soon came off to us, and I engaged one of them to take our empty 
water-casks ashore and fill them ; and to bring us a supply of oranges. 
Of others, I purchased, at a moderate price, some very good fish. 
These people were better dressed and were more civil than those 
who visited us on the 11th ; and, when we were leaving them, request- 
ed a paper, describing the vessel and our destination. 

On the 17th it was apparent that we had arrived at a shoaler, and 
consequently more dangerous part of the coast than we had, hitherto, 
been navigating ; and could not, therefore, without great risk, work 
along shore at night, as we had done. The wind was very light dur- 
ing the day ; but towards evening freshened so much as to make it 
necessary to reef the sails. We stood ofi" shore until two o'clock on 
the morning of the 18th, and then tacked towards the land ; in ex- 
pectation that, as we had carried as much sail all night as the vessel 
would bear, we should gain very considerably to windward ; but, at 
daylight, had the disappointment to find ourselves at least three 



STRCCK ON A LEDGE. 79 

leagues to leeward of the land we left the preceding evening. To 
lose so much, in so short a time, was very discouraging ; for, with 
our greatest exertions, we could hardly hope to regain it in twenty- 
four hours. This also convinced me that we could do nothing by 
keeping far from the shore. In the evening, as well as throughout 
the succeeding night, a breeze from the land favored us very much ; 
and, by keeping close in, we gained even more than our preceding 
day's loss. 

On the morning of the 19th, we had a pleasant breeze from east- 
northeast, making short tacks near the shore ; and soon after eight, 
A. M., we doubled a point, which opened to our view a large sandy 
bay, and in which there appeared to be many dangerous rocks and 
breakers. Keeping our lead constantly going, we had very irregular 
soundings, from five to two and a half fathoms; when, suddenly, as 
we were sailing at the rate of about three knots, we ran upon a sunk- 
en ledge. As the vessel hung only forward, we lowered the sails 
and hoisted out the boat, with a view to carry out an anchor astern ; 
but unfortunately, in putting the anchor into the boat, the bill of it 
struck with such force against one of the planks in the bottom as to 
render her useless until she was repaired. This was a discouraging 
circumstance, as the vessel lay very uneasy ; but there was no other 
resource than to hoist the boat again on deck, and stop the leak in the 
most expeditious way possible. While we were thus engaged, the 
tide rose so much that the vessel slid off the rock, unaided by any 
efforts of ours ; and apparently without having received any injury. 
Our latitude was 22°, 35^ north. 

Having secured our boat and anchor, and again made sail, we 
stood off to sea, so far as to enable us to weather this shoal on the 
opposite tack. Towards evening, perceiving the current to be strong 
against us, we came to anchor and lay all night. We now were 
encouraged by the discovery that we had regular tides setting north 
and south ; and as soon as it began to set in our favor, on the 20th, 
we weighed anchor and began beating. But, having a short irregu- 
lar sea to contend with, we made but little progress during the day ; 
and so entirely did the coast appear to be strewed with rocks and 
shoals, that it could not be approached in the night without the most 
imminent danger of losing our vessel ; hence the necessity of finding 



80 FIRST VOYAGE. 

an anchorage for the night before the day closed. We succeeded 
in doing this by running in where there was a number of junks at 
anchor ; and near a considerable settlement, before which appeared 
to be a fort. 

As soon as we had anchored a number of visitors came off to us ; 
but, as no one of them knew any of the European languages, our 
communications were confined to signs ; by means of which I suc- 
ceeded in replenishing our stock of wood and water. While the 
Chinaman was engaged in filling our water-casks, Mr. Smith, the 
chief mate, made an excursion on shore. As soon as he landed, a 
person, who seemed to possess some authority, came up to him and 
made signs that he should follow him to the fort. He was there in- 
troduced to a Mandarin, who was, doubtless, the commandant, and 
who, being made to comprehend the object of our visit, manifested a 
desire to gratify it ; and behaved with great civility. It appeared as 
if these people had never before seen an European, or American. 
They followed him in crowds to the fort, and back again to the land- 
ing-place. All labor, for the time, was abandoned ; and even the 
actors, who were then engaged on a public stage, suspended their 
sing song, while the " fanqui " was passing. 

The following morning (21st) we sailed again, accompanied by a 
number of the junks, also bound to windward ; and from this time 
until the 24th, we had no other wind than the regular monsoon ; 
sometimes blowing very strong, so that we could gain nothing by 
beating ; we then generally sought a smooth place in which to 
anchor ; and even when the wind was moderate, we were always 
obliged to anchor while the tide was setting against us. We passed 
every day vast fleets of fishing boats ; and were in sight of several 
towns, some of which appeared to be of considerable size. 

On the morning of the 24th, I was equally surprised and delighted 
with a breeze springing up from the southwest, which, increasing at 
noon, continued throughout the day, and afforded such an enlivening 
prospect, that I began to flatter myself with the belief that we had 
seen the worst of our passage. But I was not long permitted to in- 
dulge so pleasing a hope ; as before eight o'clock in the evening, the 
wind shifted suddenly, in a squall, to its old quarter, the northeast, and 
blew with great violence. 



PASS THROUGH A BREAKER UNHURT. 81 

On the 25th, we gained considerably in the forenoon ; but towards 
evening the wind increased so as to bring us under double-reefed 
sails. The night was rainy and dark, with a rough sea, into which 
we were plunging, without reaping any advantage ; as, in the morn- 
ing our position differed little or none from what it was the preced- 
ing evening. On the evening of the 26th, preferring the chance of 
anchoring where we were not well sheltered, to passing such a night 
as the last, we came to anchor under the lee of a rock, soon after 
sunset ; where we rode very securely until between ten and eleven 
o'clock, when, the wind having increased very much, we struck adrift. 
All hands were called immediately ; we hove up the anchor, and, 
under double-reefed sails, stood out to sea, until four A. M., v»^hen we 
tacked in shore ; the wind and sea having so increased as to keep us 
buried most of the time, even under our storm-sails. Approaching 
the coast, and when within about three leagues of it, we suddenly 
perceived a breaker ; but, as the vessel was going at a rapid rate, we 
were in the midst of the foam almost at the moment of this discovery. 
The vessel struck once, in the hollow of the sea, and was enveloped 
in the succeeding billow, but passed over without receiving any in- 
jury ; her deck, at the same time, was covered with sand. 

It had now become essential that we should find a harbor; as we 
could do no more than drift to leeward by remaining out. But to 
seek one, in a gale of wind, without a chart, and on a coast to which 
we were all strangers, was attended with great hazard. When we 
had run about four leagues to leeward, the man at mast-head perceiv- 
ed a deep and sandy bay ; the access to which appeared to be free 
from danger ; and the sea was now so high that any shoal which 
could take us up, would show itself. We therefore ran boldly in, 
and doubling round a projecting point of sand, came to anchor near a 
fleet of junks ; which we found were bound north, and had, like our- 
selves, put in to evade the storm. The gale continued throughout this 
and the following day, accompanied with frequent and heavy squalls 
of rain ; and the weather as cold as it is commonly in Boston in the 
month of December. After our recent fatigue and anxiety, the re- 
laxation and comfort, afforded by lying two days and a night in so 
smooth a harbor, while the storm was howling, and the sea roaring 
without, was almost beyond the power of description. 



82 FIRST VOYAGE. 

In the evening of the 28th there was evidently a considerable 
abatement of the gale ; and by midnight the weather was serene and 
pleasant. Before dawn on the 29th, we perceived a muster on board 
the junks, for getting under way ; and, following their example, we 
also weighed anchor, and went out in company with thirty-two sail ; 
with which we plied to windward till one P. M. when, the tide making 
against us, we all came to anchor in three and a half fathoms, 
opposite a small fishing town. 

We perceived, during this day, that when working up in smooth 
water, sometimes caused by a projecting point, our vessel was decidedly 
superior to the junks in sailing ; but that when we got out where 
the sea was rough, they had as much the advantage of us ; indeed, I 
was astonished to perceive how fast such square, uncouth, ill-shaped 
craft, with bamboo sails, would work to windward in a sea which 
almost buried my cutter. 

At eleven o'clock in the evening we perceived the junks to be 
getting under way ; and concluded we could not do better than to 
keep company with them, which we did throughout the night ; and, 
in the morning of the 30th, found we had gained very considerably. 
Between four and five A. M., the tide set against us so strongly that 
we barely maintained our position ; and while a part of the fleet went 
in shore and anchored, a part remained under sail. At ten o'clock, 
we had again a favorable current, of which the whole fleet took 
advantage, and kept plying to windward till four P. M., when we all 
stood into a deep bay, or estuary, at the inner extremity of which is 
the town of Amoy ; a place of great trade, if a judgment can be 
formed by the vast number of vessels which we perceived to be lying 
there. 

The masters of the two junks that were nearest to us made mo- 
tions that were not difficult to understand, that we should go and 
anchor under the lee of an island a little to windward of us ; which 
we did at six o'clock, near two Chinese Junks. The captain of one 
of these came on board, and informed us that the name of the town 
was Amoy ; that the land about three and a half leagues to wind- 
ward was the Island Kemoy ; and that we must keep the lead going 
all the time, as there were numerous rocks and shoals in the interme- 
diate space. 



THE ISLAND OF KEMOY. 83 

Some very neat houses, surrounded with trees and shrubbery, and 
having the appearance of country-seats of opulent men, were beau- 
tifully situated on the side of a hill opposite to the spot where we 
had anchored ; and the whole island, of apparently not more than 
two miles in circumference, presented a highly cultivated and pleas- 
ing appearance. During the day, we had passed several considera- 
ble settlements, one of which had a wall round it ; and the country 
generally exhibited an appearance of great cultivation. We dared 
not take advantage of the night tide, after the account of the dangers 
which the Chinaman had given us, and therefore remained at anchor 
all .night. I would gladly have procured a pilot, but could not ; and 
had no other resource than following the imperfectly conveyed direc- 
tions of the Chinaman, and trusting to the lead and a good lookout 
for safety. 

Desirous of reconnoitring the ground before us at low water, when 
some of the reefs would discover themselves, we remained at anchor 
on the 31st for this purpose ; and saw many rocks in our track, which 
were not visible at high water. Of these we took the bearings, and 
saw how to avoid many of the dangers which were pointed out to us 
by the Chinaman. 

Early on the morning of the 1st of February, we resumed the task 
of beating to windward ; and although we had frequently only two 
fathoms of water, and did not always deepen it by standing off shore, 
we yet, fortunately, reached in safety the anchorage under the lee of 
the Island Kemoy, towards evening, after having passed a day of great 
anxiety and fatigue. 

The duty had now been so arduous, the prospect of its duration so 
uncertain, and the dangers so appalling, that the men, unceasingly 
exposed to wet and cold, became quite disheartened ; and, during the 
ensuing night, entered into a combination to compel me to return to 
Macao. This was manifested in the morning, by a general refusal to 
weigh anchor, when the order was given. In this determination they 
were so well agreed, that I did not attempt to force them, otherwise 
than by declaring to them, that if they would not work they should 
not eat, and took the necessary precaution to prevent their getting 
provisions. On this they became very boisterous ; using insolent and 
abusive language to myself and officers ; swearing they would have 



84 FIKST VOYAGE. 

provisions ; and providing themselves with axes, crowbars, and what- 
ever weapons they could find, to enforce their threat ; or possibly to 
take possession of the vessel. 

It was now very evident that no time was to be lost in putting our- 
selves in a state of defence ; which, if it did not discourage the 
attempt, should defeat the success of any desperate measure they 
might plan. With this view, I caused a four-pound cannon, loaded 
with langrage, to be pointed forward from each side of the quarter- 
deck ; and each officer, at the same time, providing himself with a 
pair of loaded pistols, we had nothing to apprehend from an attack 
while we observed the degree of vigilance the case demanded. 
When this preparation was made, I forbade any man to come abaft 
the mast, on penalty of being fired at ; and declared to them, that if 
I perceived any number coming aft together, I would discharge one 
of the cannon among them. 

With this view, I had constantly a man on the alert, at each gun, 
with a lighted match ; and we relieved each other every two hours. 
Aware that this state of things could not be of long duration, neither 
myself nor officers attempted to procure any sleep during the suc- 
ceeding night. 

Having remained in this hostile attitude for about twenty-four 
hours, without perceiving any diminution of the resolution of the 
mutineers, it occurred to me, that if they would consent to be set on 
shore, they would soon be glad to be taken on board again on such 
terms as I should prescribe. When, therefore, I made the proposi- 
tion to them, they readily acceded to it ; and were immediately 
landed on the beach. The curiosity of the inhabitants to see them 
was such, that they were incessantly surrounded by a great crowd, 
and their situation became extremely irksome and uncomfortable ; 
besides which, they could obtain no other food than a scanty supply 
of rice. The next morning, (3d,) we perceived the eldest of the 
party, (a good-natured old man-of-war's-man, of about fifty, whose 
pride of adhering to his comrades, rather than hostility to us, had led 
him into his present trouble,) coming down to the beach and waving 
his jacket, as if he wanted to speak with us. Supposing he might be 
deputed by the others to make some proposal, I sent the boat, with 
the chief mate, and with George and the linguist to row him. Old 



mutiny; means of subduing it. 85 

Will, (for that was the name by which he was called,) had no other 
favor to ask, than permission to come on board again on any terms. 
He was accordingly brought off; and appeared to be so much 
ashamed of his conduct, and promised so fairly to behave well in 
future, that I forgave him. He gave a lamentable account of the 
great inconvenience they experienced from the excessive curiosity of 
the inhabitants to see them ; and from which they had been partially 
relieved by the kindness of a humane Mandarin, who gave them 
shelter in his house. He also mentioned the regret, expressed by 
several of them, at having acceded to my proposal of leaving the 
vessel. 

A few hours after old Will had been taken on board, I saw all the 
others getting into a Chinese boat ; and therefore made preparation 
to keep them off, if they should attempt to come on board without 
permission. When they had arrived within hail, I cautioned them, 
on their peril, to approach no nearer. They said the Mandarin had 
sent them off, and they dared not return. With a cannon pointed 
towards the boat, I threatened them with destruction if they attempt- 
ed to advance. The Chinamen, who were at the oars, seeing this, 
became so alarmed that they hastened to the shore again. This I con- 
ceived to be the proper moment for getting my men on board on my 
own terms. Accordingly, the mate and myself, well armed, and 
rowed by two men, went to the beach ; and calling one at a time into 
the boat, took their solemn promise of future good behavior. 

There were two desperate fellows, the ringleaders, whom I deter- 
mined not to take on board again on any conditions. I had recently 
learned that they were convicts, who had escaped from Botany Bay ; 
and that the one, whom, from his intelligence and activity, I had 
made boatswain, had once been master of a Liverpool guineaman. 
This man, probably suspecting my intentions, attempted to come 
without being called ; and when refused, he immediately opened his 
clasp knife, and presenting it to the breast of his comrade, who was 
advancing towards the boat, threatened him with instant death if he 
attempted to pass him. I then levelled my musket at him ; but 
instantly recollecting that we had already secured men enough to 
navigate the vessel with safety, desisted from firing it ; and returned 
on board with all but six ; hoping, that, with a little further delay, we 
8 



86 FIRST VOYAGE. 

should obtain the other four, of which I was desirous. Accordingly, 
next morning, seeing them again on the beach, I went to them, armed 
as before ; and found they had determined not to separate ; though 
they all made fair promises of good conduct, if I would take them on 
board again. Being convinced that I could not get those I wanted 
without those I did not want, I determined to prosecute my voyage, 
even with such reduced numbers ; and, weighing anchor, we recom- 
menced our arduous and hazardous duty of beating to windward. 

We stood out to sea, with a good whole-sail breeze from northeast, 
till four o'clock in the morning of the 5th, when we tacked. The 
wind and sea having increased very considerably, reduced us to 
our double reefs ; and, on coming in with the land, we found we had 
gained several miles. But with so much wind and sea as there then 
was, we could not advance any on our course, and we determined to 
find an anchorage. This we succeeded in doing by running a little 
to leeward ; and at noon, anchored in a deep bay not more than five 
or six miles from the place where we had landed our men. On com- 
ing to anchor we discharged a cannon, to notify our men that there 
was yet time to dissolve their partnership. 

Here, for a moderate compensation, I again engaged a Chinaman 
to fill up our water-casks, and replenish our stock of wood. In the 
afternoon I visited one of the large China junks, near to which we 
had anchored ; where I was treated with great politeness by a person, 
whom, from his dress and appearance, I took to be the owner. He 
offered us tea and sweetmeats in the great cabin, which was extremely 
neat and clean, and in which a Joss occupied a conspicuous place. 1 
invited him to go on board my vessel, to which he very readily 
assented ; and, as he seemed to possess an inquiring mind, I pointed 
out to him our superiority of manner over his, of taking up the anchor, 
hoisting the sails, &c., of which he seemed to be convinced ; and, 
after taking some refreshments, he left us, apparently much pleased 
with his visit. 

The gale continuing the next day, it would have been useless to 
put out; we therefore lay at anchor all day. About noon, observing 
a great concourse of people on the beach, from which we lay half a 
mile distant, with the help of my glass I perceived that our men were 
among them ; and that they were getting into a boat. I then pre- 



VISIT FROM A CHINESE. 87 

pared to keep them off, in case they should attempt to come on board 
by force. When they were within hail, I desired them to keep oft. 
They replied, that the Mandarin would not let them remain on shore, 
and were advancing ; when, on firing a musket over them, they imme- 
diately retreated to the shore. The Mandarin, with his numerous 
attendants, then came off", leaving our mutineers on shore. 1 invited 
these on board, and treated them with wine and sweetmeats ; but 
would not comply with the pressing desire of the Mandarin, to take 
all our men on board again. I believe I succeeded in making him 
understand that four of the six I should be willing to take again, but 
that the other two I would not. 

After remaining an hour on board and examining every thing with 
much earnestness and attention, they returned to the shore. At the 
same time, and with the usual precaution, I went near the beach, in 
my boat, and, calling each of the persons separately by name, 
inquired if he was ready to go on board on my conditions. They 
declared they would not separate ; but complained of the cruelty and - 
hardship of being left in such a place. This was the last interview I 
had with them ; for, soon after returning on board, I saw them 
marched away, escorted by the guard which attended the Mandarin. 
On our return to Canton, we learned that these six men had been 
sent there by the Chinese authorities, and delivered to the English 
company's residents. 

The next morning, having a favorable current and a good breeze, 
we put out, and beat till the tide began to make against us ; when we 
gained an anchorage near a small fishing town, where we lay the 
remainder of the day, and all the following night. Early on the 
morning of the 7th, we had a moderate breeze from north-northwest, 
by means of which we made a course nearly parallel with the China 
coast till noon. The breeze then left us, and having a contrary cur- 
rent, we let run the graplin, in twenty fathoms ; and lay till five P. 
M., when there came a light breeze from the southeast, to which we 
set all sail. 

In the course of the afternoon, during the calm, a large boat came 
towards us, full of men shouting and hallooing, and occasionally 
firing a gun they had in the bow. Their conduct was so very differ- 
ent from that of any of the Chinese we had met with, that, suspecting 



88 FIKST VOYAGE. 

they might be Ladronea, I ordered a four-pound shot fired over them ; 
which produced an instantaneous retreat to the shore. Between ten 
and eleven o'clock, the wind continuing to be very light, we discov- 
ered a large boat rowing towards us, which I supposed to be the same. 
When at a short distance to windward they left off rowing and lay 
on their oars. Their manoeuvres and number of men led me to be 
suspicious ; and I -therefore loaded two cannon and several muskets. 
They, however, probably from seeing we were not off our guard, 
returned towards the shore without molesting us. 

With various winds and weather, we diligently pursued our course 
to the northward, till we got out of the influence of the monsoon ; 
and on the 11th of February had the satisfaction of seeing the north 
end of Formosa, bearing south, distant ten leagues. Thus, after 
thirty-one days of great toil, exposure, and anxiety, we had accom- 
plished that part of our passage which had been represented as an 
impossibility ; and which, with a fair wind, might have been performed 
in three days. 

On the 17th, we passed between the north end of the Island Le- 
keyo (which is nearly four hundred miles east of Formosa) ano 
several small islands which lie to the north of it, with a gale of wind 
from the westward, and under the head of our squaresail, having pre 
viously split the topsail, and got the yards on deck. I had only a 
manuscript chart of the North Pacific, which, I was convinced, was- 
not to be depended on, having already discovered two islands thai 
were not laid down in it. And as the gale continued to blow with 
violence, till we had quite passed the coast of Japan, the nights, 
which were long, and exceedingly dark, were passed in sleepless 
anxiety, lest we should meet destruction from some island or rock, 
not laid down in my chart. 

Our passage across the North Pacific proved clearly enough the 
misapplication of the term to that sea, as it was hardly possible for il 
to be less peaceful. The violence of the wind generally obliged 
us to show but very little sail ; and the sea was so boisterous that 
there were but few days when we were not enveloped by it, so that 
the fire was repeatedly extinguished in the caboose. The men who 
composed the watch on deck, never escaped a complete drenching ; 
and had constant employment in carrying their clothes up the rigging 



tUSCOTTRAGEMENT OF THE CREW. 89 

to dry* The exposure and privations, though not sufficient to injure 
the health of the crew, were much greater than they had ever before 
experienced ; and, as they imagined that the other passages were to 
be equally fatigumg, they formed the design, (of which I had notice,) 
of deserting, as soon as thev could, after qui arrival on the coast. 

8* 



CHAFl EK Vll. 



See the Coast of America. — Prepare Bulwarks —Anchor at Norfolk Sound— Dis-' 
charge a Cannon — Natives come to us— -Caution to them — Their Appearance 
— Purchase Skins— Tribe — An Accident — Eesult — Chatham Straits — Ship 
Eliza— Suspicious Conduct of the Natives — An Alarm — Steeken War Canoe — A 
Present— Eequest to stop the Eain— A Deserter— Kecovered— Game — Anchor 
m a Cove — Hostile Attitude of the Natives — Leave them— Ship Cheerful — Dan- 
gerous Position of the Vessel — Escape — Kepairthe Damage — Ships Hancock and 
Despatch, of Boston — Skittigates — Stratagem — Howlings in the Night — Sensi- 
hihty of a Native — Chiefs Kow, Coneyaw, and Eltargee. 



^MflY in the morning of the 30th of March 
we saw the usual indications of land, drift-wood, 
kelp, and gulls ; and at ten o'clock perceived the 
snow-capped hills of the American coast, twelve 
leagues distant. We immediately set all hands to 
work in bending our cables and getting up a bul- 
wark, which we had been preparing of hides 
sewed together. These were attached to stanch- 
ions of about six feet, and completely screened us from 
being seen by the natives, whom it was important to our 
safety to keep in ignorance of our numbers. Towards 
evening we anchored in a snug harbor at Norfolk 
Sound, in latitude 57° 10^ north. Here the smoothness of 
the water, the feeling of safety, and the silent tranquillity 
which reigned all round us, formed a striking contrast to the 
scenes with which we had been familiar since leaving Can- 
ton ; and would have afforded positive enjoyment, had I possessed a 
crew on v/hose fidelity I could depend. 

The following day was very clear and pleasant. At the first dawn 
of the morning we discharged a cannon to apprize any natives who 
might be near, of our arrival. We then loaded the cannon and a 
number of muskets and pistols, which were placed where they could 




APPEARANCE OP THE NATIVES. 91 

be most readily laid hold of. The only accessible part of the vessel 
was the stern, and this was exclusively used, (while it was necessary 
to keep up the bulwark,) as the gangway. As it was over the stern 
that we meant to trade, I had mounted there two four-pound cannon ; 
and on the tafferel a pair of blunderbusses on swivels, which were 
also loaded. Soon after the discharge of our cannon, several Indians 
came to us ; and before dark some hundreds arrived, who encamp- 
ed on the beach near which the vessel was anchored. As we observ- , 
ed them to be loaded with skins, we supposed that we were the first . 
who had arrived this season. ?) 

With a view to our own security, as well as convenience, I direct- = 
ed my interpreter to explain to the chiefs, and through * them to the 
tribe, that after dark no canoe would be allowed to come near the 
vessel ; and that if I perceived any one approaching, I should fire at 
it ; that only three or four canoes must come at a time to trade, and 
that they must always appear under the stern, avoiding the sides of 
the vessel. With my own men I neglected no precaution to make 
escape impossible, but at the imminent risk of life. While at anchor 
they were divided into three watches. One of these I took charge 
of; and stationing them in such parts of the vessel that no move- 
ment could be made undiscovered, obliged them to strike the gong 
every half hour throughout the night, and to call out, from each end 
of the vessel and amidships, " All's well." This practice so amused 
the Indians, that they imitated it by striking a tin kettle, and re- 
peating the words as near as they were able. 

But a more hideous set of beings, in the form of men and women, 
I had never before seen. The fantastic manner in which many of 
the faces of the m.en were painted, was probably intended to give 
them a ferocious appearance ; and some groups looked really as if 
they had escaped from the dominions of Satan himself. One had a 
perpendicular line dividing the two sides of the face ; one side of which 
w^as painted red, the other black ; with the hair daubed with grease 
and red ochre, and filled with the white down of birds. Another had 
the face divided with a horizontal line in the middle, and painted 
black and white. The visage of a third was painted in checkers, «Sz;c. 
Most of them had little mirrors ; before the acquisition of which, 
they must have been dependent on each other for those correct touches 



U2 JE"IRST VOYAGEi 

of the pencil which are so much in vogue 5 and which daily require 
more time than the toilet of a Parisian belle. 

The women made, if possible, a still more frightful appearance. 
The ornament of wood which they wear to extend an incision made 
beneath the under lip, so distorts the face as to take from it almost 
the resemblance to the human ; yet the privilege of wearing this 
ornament is not extended to the female slaves, who are prisoners taken 
in war. Hence, it would seem, that distinctive badges have their 
origin in the most rude state of society. It is difficult, however, for 
the imagination to conceive of more disgusting and filthy beings than 
these patrician dames. 

It was quite noon before we could agree upon the rate of barter ; 
but when once arranged with one of the chiefs, and the exchange 
made, they all hurried to dispose of their skins at the same rate ; and^ 
before night we had purchased upwards of a hundred^ at the rate of 
two yards of blue broadcloth each. The Indians assured us, that a 
vessel with three masts had been there, a month before, from which 
they had received four yards of cloth for a skin ; but this story was 
rendered improbable by the number they had on hand ; and I consid- 
ered it as a manoeuvre to raise the price. As soon as it became dark 
they retired in an orderly manner to their encampment, abreast the 
vessel ; and some of them appeared to be on the watch all night, as 
we never proclaimed the hour on board without hearing a repetition 
of it on shore. 

The following morning, (April 2d,) the natives came off soon after 
daylight, and began without hesitation to dispose of their furs to us, at 
the price fixed upon the day before ; and such was their activity in 
trading that^, by night, we had purchased of them more than two 
hundred sea otter skins ; besides one hundred and twenty tails. 
Our barter consisted of blue cloth, great coats, blankets, Chinese 
trunks ; with beads, China cash, and kniVes, as presents. Canoes 
were arriving occasionally throughout the day ; so that at night there 
was a very perceptible augmentation of their numbers. 

Our linguist recognized them to be the Hoodsnahoo tribe, who had 
come thus early to the coast to get a supply of the spawn of certain 
fish, which constitutes their principal food in the spring of the year. 
As this tribe had attacked the cutter last year, alone, we thought it 



TRAFFIC WITH THE INDIANS. 93 

not improbable that, now they were united with the Norfolk Sound tribe, 
they might determine to make another attempt. We therefore took 
every precaution against them. 

On the 3d, we were proceeding harmoniously and prosperously in 
our traffic, when a little incident occurred, which produced a short 
interruption. A canoe, containing eleven persons, men, women, and 
children, had, contrary to our regulations, come alongside, and were 
raising the screens at the ports to look in on the deck. Before I had 
time to speak to them, the cook (either by accident or design) threw 
a ladle full of hot water over them, which, causing an involuntary 
and sudden motion of their bodies to the other side of the boat, im- 
mediately upset it, and all were immersed in the water. The confu- 
sion was now very great ; as those, who, at the time, were under the 
stern engaged in traffic, fearing some treachery, made haste to paddle 
away, without regard to the distress of their comrades. All of these 
appeared, however, to be capable of taking care of themselves, ex- 
cepting an infant of about a year old, whose struggles being observed 
by Mr. Smith, he jumped overboard and saved it. As the weather 
was very raw and chilly, we hastened to dry and warm the infant by 
the fire, then wrapped it in a blanket, gave it a piece of sugar, and 
returned it to its parents, who appeared to be exceedingly pleased 
and grateful. They all soon recovered from the inconvenience of 
the accident, as I was glad to find they considered it. The appre- 
hensions of the others being but momentary, we proceeded again to 
business, which was conducted throughout the day to mutual satisfac- 
tion. 

Having observed, on the 4th and 5th, that their store of furs was 
nearly exhausted, we weighed anchor the next morning, and, parting 
on good terms with the natives, steered up a narrow passage, in an 
easterly direction, till we arrived in that extensive sound, which Van- 
couver has called Chatham's Straits. Nearly opposite to the opening 
into this sound is the village of Hoodsnahoo, the tribe we had just 
parted with ; and here we came to anchor. Several women came 
off, and told us there were no skins in the village ; that the men were 
gone in pursuit of them ; and that, if we came there again in twice 
ten days, they should have plenty. Here we passed a day in filUng 
up our empty water casks and getting a supply of wood. 



94 FIRST VOYAGE, 

f 

In the afternoon of the 9th, we put out of the snug cove in which 
we were lying, having been informed by the Indians that there was 
a ship in sight. This we found to be true, as, on opening the sound, 
we saw her not more than a mile distant from us. Soon after, we 
were boarded by Captain Rowan, of ship Eliza, of Boston, who had 
arrived on the coast at least a month before us, and who, having been 
very successful, was now on his way to the southward to complete 
his cargo, and then to leave the coast. He mentioned that ten ves- 
sels would probably be despatched from Boston for the coast this 
season. 

From this information it was evident that it would require all our 
efforts to dispose of our articles of traffic advantageously before the 
competition should reduce their value. For the Indians are suffi- 
ciently cunning to derive all possible advantage from competition, and 
will go from one vessel to another, and back again, with assei'tions of 
offers made to them, which have no foundation in truth, and showing 
themselves to be as well versed in the tricks of trade as the greatest 
adepts. 

After taking leave of Captain Rowan, we were proceeding along 
the western shore of the sound, with a light breeze, when we fell in 
with a canoe, from which we obtained four skins, but were obliged to 
pay more for them than for any others we had bought. This was in 
consequence of their knowing what Captain Rowan had been paying, 
which, he informed me, was twice as much as I had given. We now 
were influenced very much by the course of the wind, in our deter- 
mination of going up and down the sound, and into its various ramifi- 
cations, always directing our course to any point where we discover- 
ed a smoke, and remaining no longer than to purchase what skins the 
natives possessed. On the morning of the 13th, having passed up 
the eastern branch of the sound, we came to anchor near to a high iso- 
lated rock. A space on the top of this was enclosed with a chevaux- 
de-frise ; and on the side towards us it was inaccessible. We per- 
ceived many people moving about within the enclosure ; and soon 
after coming to anchor, several canoes came off to us, and, among 
them, one large war canoe with twenty-five warriors, with their war 
garments on, and well armed. This had been but a short time near 
us, before the Indians in her gave a loud shout, and paddled towards 



TROUBLE WITH THE NATIVES. 95 

• the shore, at the same time discharging their muskets in the air, and 
saying their enemy was in sight. But, as the other canoes with which 
we were trading did not leave us, nor evince any fear, I could not 
help suspecting some stratagem, and therefore made preparation, and 
kept every man on the alert. 

Scarcely half an hour had elapsed after the war canoe left us, 
when we again saw her coming, accompanied by two others of equal 
size, and equally well manned and armed. Three canoes were under 
our stern trading ; and their hurried and earnest manner was evident- 
ly designed to divert our attention from those which were approach- 
ing. But as soon as they were within hail, we desired them to come 
no nearer, on penalty of being fired at. They then pulled leisurely 
towards the shore. Whilst this was transacting, our linguist, in sell- 
ing a musket, had carelessly laid a cartridge of powder by him, 
which took fire and scorched him considerably. The blaze alarmed 
the Indians, who, as if conscious of intended mischief on their part, 
suspected it on ours, as they immediately seized and levelled their 
muskets at us. Without reflecting how useless was the exposure, I 
involuntarily seized and pointed a blunderbuss at them, while, in a 
moment, George, ever on the alert, was at my side with his musket 
cocked and ready to fire ; but, fortunately, those who managed the 
paddles exerted themselves to get out of our reach, and so soon in- 
creased the distance between us, that no gun was discharged on either 
side. 

After their fears were a little abated, we called to some natives in a 
small canoe, and explained to them the cause of the alarm, and de- 
sired them to tell their friends that if they would come off in the 
small canoes, and without arms, we would trade with them. In con- 
sequence of this invitation, several came off unarmed ; and while 
they were engaged in disposing of their furs, we kept a lookout after 
their comrades. By the aid of our glass we perceived that they 
were putting their arms into the small canoes, and embarking as 
many men as each would carry. When within hail, they were cau- 
tioned to come no nearer ; but they persisted in advancing till they 
saw that we were pointing a cannon at them. They then returned to 
the shore, and appeared to have abandoned their design, though a con- 
siderable armed body of them kept on the shore abreast of the vessel, 



96 FIRST VOYAGE. 

occasionally firing their muskets, all day. The circumstance of their 
women not being with them, and also that of their having very few 
skins, tended to confirm me in the belief that their intentions were 
mischievous. But, whatever may have been their design, we parted 
with them, as we had done with other tribes, on friendly terms. 

On the 15th, while steering, as we supposed, for the village of 
Steeken, we came across a canoe belonging to that tribe, from which 
we obtained directions for finding it ; but, as the wind was light, and 
a current against us, we were unable to reach it before dark, and 
anchored about two miles off. During the night there was a consid- 
erable fall of snow. In the morning we weighed anchor, and, about 
an hour after, dropped it again abreast the village. Several canoes 
came off, and sold us, in the course of the day, sixty skins, several 
cotsacks (or cloaks of fur), and fifty-six tails. On leaving us, at 
dark, they promised to return the next day with more skins, and 
moreover told us that if we would remain five or six days, several 
great chiefs would arrive with their families, and bring plenty of skins. 

Unexpectedly, one of these very great chiefs arrived the next day 
in a canoe quite as long as my vessel, and ornamented with a rudely 
carved figure of a warrior on the prow, the head of which was deco- 
rated with real hair, filled with a mixture of grease and red ochre, and 
the white down of birds. The chief was a dignified, good-looking 
man of about forty-five. He was accompanied by twenty-two athletic 
young men, who appeared to handle their paddles with a graceful- 
ness and dexterity as much excelling the management of the ordinary 
canoes, as the oarsmen of a man-of-war's barge surpass those of a 
merchantman. This chief was very desirous to come on board ; but 
to have indulged him would have been an imprudent exposure of the 
smallness of our numbers. He then expressed a wish to have a 
cannon discharged ; and we readily fired two in immediate succes- 
sion, which appeared to astonish and gratify him, and on the subject 
of which much conversation was held with his men ; but it was only 
partially understood by my linguist as expressing admiration of the 
report. After this the chief stood up and made a speech, evincing 
his pleasure, and at the same time handing up three fine skins as 
presents. An Indian's gift is understood here, as elsewhere, to be 
made with the expectation of a generous return ; and I gave to the 



A SAILOR DESERTS. 97 

chief great coats, cloth, knives, beads, and China cash, to more than 
their value. He drank half a tumbler of wine with great relish, and 
then blew into the air a quantity of the down of birds in token of 
friendship. As they left us to go ashore, they all began a song, 
whose wildness was in perfect keeping with their appearance, and to 
which they kept the ilnost exact time with their paddles. 

The days of the 18th and 19th were rainy and unpleasant. We 
continued at anchor, and were visited by a number of Indians with 
skins ; but they did not trade with much spirit. The rainy, chilly 
weather seemed to have checked their animation ; and they would sit, 
crouched up in their canoes, looking at us for hours together, without 
altering their position, while it rained without cessation. At length 
we observed a very old chief earnestly engaged to get his canoe 
nearer to us ; as I supposed to sell his furs and be off. But not so ; 
his object was to persuade me to cause the rain to cease ; and, as an 
inducement, he assured me they would bring a great many skins. As 
there was no appearance of fair weather, I told him I could not do 
so that day, but might possibly the next. It happened that the next 
day was fair ; but I saw nothing more of the chief. 

We sailed from this place on perceiving that we had exhausted 
their store of skins ; and, in passing to and fro in the multitude of the 
ramifications of this extensive inland navigation, we met many strag- 
gling canoes, and seldom any one that had not some skins to dispose 
of. In this way we had a great advantage over a large vessel ; and, 
by running into various creeks, where, probably, no vessel had ever 
been before, our collection of a few at a time amounted to a very con- 
siderable number. - 

On the 1st of May we anchored near a place favorable for replen- 
ishing our wood and water ; and, while busily engaged in this busi- 
ness, one of my Irish sailors, eluding the vigilance of the officer who 
was with the party, made his escape. As he was on an island of no 
great extent, and could procure nothing to subsist upon, there was no 
doubt he would endeavor to get on board the first canoe he might see. 
Therefore, as soon as our business was accomplished, we proceeded 
to the village, about four miles to leeward, and immediately despatched 
two canoes after him, promising a reward of a musket to the one that 
should bring him. The canoes no sooner came in sight, than, having 
9 



98 FIRST VOYAGE. 

no suspicion that they were in pursuit of him, he called to them, and 
one of them readily took him on board ; but, instead of bringing him 
to us, put him ashore at their village. The next day it was evident 
that they had no intention of returning him, as they made various ex- 
cuses ; such as " he was too strong for them ; " " the women would 
not allow him to be sent on board ; " and " he had gone away to a 
distant place." It then became necessary to convince them that I 
was in earnest ; and, hauling my cutter near to the village, I threat- 
ened them destruction with my great guns if they delayed to bring 
off the man ; and, firing a four-pound shot over them, it made such a 
cracking among the trees, that they were too much frightened to 
hesitate any longer. The man was brought on board ; and I 
paid the promised reward, charging the value to the account of the 
delinquent. On investigation it appeared that he and another lad had, 
some time past, determined on escaping in our boat, but had never 
found an opportunity. Had they succeeded, as we had only one boat, 
the loss of it would have been very distressing to us. 

For the several succeeding days we did not anchor, but kept under 
way, and approached the shore wherever there was smoke, or where 
we had before met the natives. During this time we came across 
many canoes, some of which were looking for a vessel to trade with ; 
and of such stragglers we bought many skins. Others reported that 
they had fallen in with two ships, to which they had disposed of all, 
and were then on their way to look for more. Among them was an 
old chief, and a number of men and women of his tribe, whom we 
remembered to have seen at Norfolk Sound. They had now their 
faces blacked, and their hair cut short, which they told us was in 
mourning for a friend that had lately been killed. 

As we approached the northern part of the sound, the wild fowl 
became more abundant ; and scarce a day passed that we did not 
kill a number of geese, turkeys, and ducks. The latter were so 
numerous as often to darken the horizon in the direction in which 
they rose ; and at one time I fired a canister of musket balls from a 
four-pounder at them, and killed six. Of fish, also, particularly sal- 
mon and halibut, we had always an abundant supply, both catching 
them ourselves, and procuring them from the natives. But our pota- 
toes were consumed, and no vegetable could be had as a substitute. 



CHILCAT TRIBE. 99 

It was yet too early in the season for wild berries ; and the natives 
had not reached that first point of civilization, which is indicated by 
an attention to the cultivation of the earth. 

The Indians, who had last left lis, perceiving we were going further 
north, advised us to be on our guard against the Chilcat tribe, whose 
village we were approaching, and whom they represented as being 
very numerous, very warlike, and very mischievous. On the 6th of 
May we had arrived at the northern extremity of Chatham's Straits, 
near the Chilcat tribe ; and, having a strong wind from the south, we 
found a harbor in a neighboring cove, and came to anchor within a 
cable's length of the shore, being in latitude 59"^ 30-^ north. Here, 
sheltered from the violence of the south wind, we lay in smooth wa- 
ter ; but, ov/ing to the boisterous state of the weather outside, only 
two canoes came to us this day. 

The wind having subsided during the night, was succeeded by a 
calm. This being favorable for the canoes, they arrived in surprising 
numbers. We had witnessed nothing to be compared with it since 
our arrival on the coast. Coming in divisions of four or five each, 
by ten o'clock twenty-six were assembled in the cove, some of which 
were as long as my vessel, and carrying from twelve to twenty-eight 
persons each, making an aggregate of about five hundred men, all 
well armed with muskets, spears, and daggers. They were unac- 
companied by their women and children, and had but few skins, which 
was a certain indication that their intentions were of a hostile char- 
acter. 

It will be perceived that our situation was now one of great dan- 
ger. The calm continuing, rendered it impossible for us to retreat ; 
and it was obvious, that if they- attacked us with resolution, their great 
superiorit}^ of numbers would enable them to overwhelm us, before 
the guns could be reloaded, after the first discharge. Our only alter- 
native, then, was to make the best preparation in our power for re- 
pelling an attack, and to sell our lives as dearly as possible ; for our 
men were all convinced that death was greatly to be preferred to 
falling alive into the hands of these barbarians. Accordingly, our 
cannon were all loaded with bags of musket balls. Our small arms, 
two muskets and two pistols for each man, were also loaded ; and our 
pikes placed at hand. 



100 FIRST VOYAGE. 

The Indians passed most of the day in their canoes, keeping at 
about a cable's length distant from our vessel, continually endeavor- 
ing to persuade us to let them approach, by the assurance of having a 
great many skins. Our own men, at the same time, vv^ith lighted 
matches, were all day at the guns, pointing at them as they altered 
their positions ; while our linguist was calling to them not to advance, 
on pain of destruction from the great guns. In this hostile attitude 
each party remained all day. In the forenoon we observed two l#irge 
canoes to go away, which, returning before night, we supposed might 
have been sent for reinforcements. The day had been a long and 
anxious one ; and when night came, we were rejoiced to see them go 
on shore, haul up their canoes, and build their fires. They remained 
quiet during the night, excepting mocking our watch, as each half 
hour was called out. Early next morning there sprang up a breeze 
from the northward, when we got under way and proceeded out of 
the cove, the Indians begging us to remain another day, and promising 
us a great many skins. We had scarcely got into the broad part of 
the sound before we met two war canoes, each containing twenty-six 
men, well armed, who were on their way to join the others ; and for 
whose arrival the attack had probably been delayed. Of these I pur- 
chased four skins in passing ; and they were exceedingly anxious we 
should return and anchor again, assuring us of a great many skins. 
On perceiving their persuasions to be of no avail, they showed evi- 
dent demonstrations of great disappointment. 

But I discovered afterwards, on falling in with the English ship 
Cheerful, Captain Beck, that they were instigated to attack us by a 
greater stimulus than their cupidity, namely, a desire for revenge. It 
appeared, from Captain Beck's account, that his ship had run aground 
on a sand bank, near where we had anchored, about a month before ; 
that, while carrying out an anchor, the natives were seen approach- 
ing in great numbers, and, he had no doubt, with hostile intentions. 
He therefore called his men on board, and prepared for resistance. 
As they advanced towards him, he cautioned them to come no nearer; 
but, disregarding the warning, and still approaching, he fired over 
them. This not producing the desired effect of intimidating them, he 
reluctantly fired among them, and supposes he killed and wounded 
several, as there were great cries heard, great confusion in the fleet. 



STRIKE A LEDGE. 101 

and an instantaneous retreat. Captain Beck had left Macao in Sep- 
tember, but had been little more than a month on the coast, and had 
not met with good success. 

After leaving the Chilcat tribe, as above mentioned, we steered 
southward, till we reached that branch of the sound which runs in an 
easterly direction. It was deemed advisable to sail up this branch, 
and round those islands, which are called, by Vancouver, Admiralty, 
Macartney's and Duke of York's Islands, visiting the several tribes 
who inhabit their shores, and purchasing all the furs they had collected. 
For, having at this time, 19th of May, nearly expended our articles 
of barter to great advantage, it was requisite that we should make 
preparation for leaving the coast, by getting a supply of wood and 
filling up our water-casks. 

The next day, while steering to the westward with this intention, 
and going at the rate of about two knots, unsuspicious of danger, the 
vessel suddenly struck a sunken ledge, and stopped. Perceiving that 
she hung abaft the midships, and that there were three and a half 
fathoms under the bows, we immediately run all the guns forward, 
and carried out an anchor ahead ; but the tide ebbed so rapidly, that 
our efforts to heave her off were ineffectual. We therefore heeled 
her on the side, whence she would be less likely to roll over. At low 
water the position of the vessel was such as to afford but feeble 
expectation that she could escape bilging. She hung by about four 
feet amidships, having slid about as much on the rock as the tide fell, 
and brought up with the end of the bowsprit against the bottom. Her 
keel formed an angle of forty-five degrees with the water line, the 
after part of it being from fourteen to fifteen feet above the rock. 
This position, combined with a rank heel to starboard, rendered it 
impossible to stand on deck. We therefore put a number of loaded 
muskets into the boat, and prepared for such resistance, in case of 
being attacked, as could be made by fifteen men, crowded into a 
sixteen feet boat. 

Our situation was now one of the most painful anxiety, no less from 
the immediate prospect of losing our vessel, and the rich cargo we 
had collected with so much toil, than from the apprehension of being 
discovered in this defenceless state by some one of the hostile tribes 
by which we were surrounded. A canoe of the largest class, with 
9* 



102 FIRST VOYAGE. 

thirty warriors, well armed, had left us not more than half an hour 
before we struck, who were now prevented from seeing us by having 
passed round an island. Should the vessel bilge, there existed scarcely 
any other chance for the preservation of our lives, than the precarious 
one of falling in with some ship. That she would bilge there was no 
reason to doubt, if the weather varied in any degree from that perfect 
calm which then prevailed. More than ten hours were passed in this 
agonizing state of suspense, watching the horizon to discover if any 
savages were approaching, — the heavens, if there were a cloud that 
might chance to ruffle the smooth surface of the water, — the vessel, 
whose occasional cracking seemed to warn us of destruction ; and, 
when the tide began to flow, impatiently observing its apparently 
sluggish advance, while I involuntarily consulted my watch, the hands 
of which seemed to have forgotten to move. In this painful interval, 
1 beguiled some little time, while seated in the boat, by taking a sketch 
of the hazardous situation of my cutter, at low water, fearing that it 
might soon be beyond my power to give such evidence of her sad 
fate. 

At length, the water having flowed over the coamings of the 
hatches, which had been caulked down in anticipation of this event, 
without any indication of the vessel's lifting, I was deliberating on the 
propriety of cutting away the mast, when we perceived her to be 
rising. She soon after righted so much, that we could go on board ; 
and at half past twelve in the night we had the indescribable pleasure 
of seeing her afloat again, without having received any other apparent 
injury than the loss of a few sheets of copper. 

To the perfect calm, smooth water, and uncommon strength of the 
vessel, may be attributed our escape from this truly perilous situation. 
On the 23d, being in a favorable place, and where there were no 
indications of natives in the immediate vicinity, we took the oppor- 
tunity to lay the vessel ashore. The tide having left her, it was 
evident that there was no material injury. The keel was considerably 
brushed, from the effects of having slid while on the rock. From 
the same cause, several sheets of copper were rolled up, and a few 
feet of the sheathing, under the copper, very much broken. All 
these were repaired as well as our time and means would permit ; and 
at high water we hauled ofl" again. 



NORFOLK SOUND. 103 

We passed another week in cruising about the sound ; but per- 
ceiving that the stock of the natives in this quarter was so exhausted 
that when we came across a canoe they had seldom any skins with 
them, it was deemed expedient to leave Chalham's Straits. We 
determined, therefore, to proceed to Norfolk Sound again, there pick 
up what we could by lying a day or two, and then go to Charlotte's 
Islands, previous to taking a final farewell of the coast. With this 
intention we steered westward. Arriving in the broad part of the 
sound, the course of which is north and south, and having the wind 
from the southward, we could make but little progress on our way. 
In the afternoon the south wind increased greatly, and caused such a 
sea as latterly we had been entirely unaccustomed to. As much 
fatigue and some risk would be incurred by attempting to pass the 
night in tacking to and fro in the sound, without a possibility, while 
the wind was so high and the sea so rough, of advancing at all on 
our way, it becaixie very desirable to find a harbor ; and a little before 
sunset, being near the eastern side of the sound, we perceived au 
opening of about a fourth of a mile, between two precipitous hills, 
clothed from the bottom to their summits with pine. The hills on 
each side forming the entrance were so decisively indicative of 
sufncient depth of water, that we ran boldly in, without taking the 
precaution of first sending the boat to reconnoitre. We were imme- 
diately becalmed on passing the entrance, and, using our sweeps, 
rowed but a third of a mile before we were in perfectly smooth water. 
The passage, having become narrower as we had advanced in it, 
rendered anchoring unnecessary ; and we kept the vessel suspended, 
between the two shores, by ropes made fast to the trees. 

Our position was quite romantic. The thick-wooded hills on either 
side seemed almost to unite at the top ; the dark gloom overhanging 
all around ; the silence and tranquillity which had so instantaneously 
succeeded the roar and turbulence of the sea without ; and the comfort 
and security for the night of which we had a prospect, all combined 
to produce sensations of a most pleasing character. While musing 
on the scenery about us, and while it was yet twilight, I perceived a 
movement in the bushes, and in a moment a large bear made his 
appearance, probably attracted by the scent of the vessel. As the 
object of killing him did not appear to me to compensate the risk of 



104 FIRST VOYAGE. 

the attempt, I refused permission to my men to go ashore for that 
purpose ; but, as he seemed disposed to remain and make our 
acquaintance, 1 caused a four-pounder to be discharged at him. The 
piece was elevated too high ; the ball went over him, making a great 
cracking among the bushes, and the reverberation of the report was 
long and loud* He did not wait for a second, but scampered off 
among the bushes, and we sav/ him no more. 

The wind having come round to the northwestward during the night, 
we put out early in the morning of the oOth, and, steering southward, 
before night v/e had an unbounded ocean open to our view. This 
little variation to the scene was quite agreeable, as we had now been 
two m.onths navigating inland, without having even a sight of the ocean, 
and having been at all times surrounded with lofty mountains, whose 
sides present an impenetrable forest of pine wood, and whose sum- 
mits (at the north) are, most of the year, covered with ice and snow. 

On the 1st of June, approaching Norfolk Sound, a ship was per- 
ceived going in before us, which proved to be the Hancock, of Boston, 
Captain Crocker, who had arrived on the coast in April. As we drew 
near to her after she had anchored, a considerable bustle was per- 
ceived on board, as if they were preparing for defence ; which, I 
was afterwards amused to find, arose from our suspicious and uncouth 
appearance. This, to be sure, was rather unusual, from the circum- 
stance of our beards, at this time, being four or five inches long ; as, 
having found the operation of shaving to be difficult, where the motion 
of the vessel was so great, I had neglected it since leaving China, 
and my officers and men had followed my example ; so that it must 
be admitted, we did present an appearance so little prepossessing, that 
it was very excusable for people whom we approached to be on their 
guard. 

The following day, arrived and anchored near us the ship De- 
spatch, of Boston, Captain Breck, which, as well as the other ship, had 
arrived on the coast rather too late to insure successful voyages the 
present season. While three vessels were lying together here, it was 
amusing to observe the adroitness and cunning with which the Indians 
derived all possible advantage from the competition. They had 
succeeded in raising the price of their skins so high that there was a 
necessity, at last, of our entering into an agreement respecting the 



SKITTIGATES. 105 

price to be given, which ought to have been made at first ; as not 
less requisite to profit, than to despatch. 

Although nearly a week was passed here, yet the natives showed 
so little earnestness to dispose of their furs, that very few were pur- 
chased till the day before our departure, and when they had taken 
ample time to satisfy themselves they were obtaining the highest 
price. The whole number of skins purchased during this time, by 
the three vessels, did not exceed together more than two hundred and 
fifty, and for these we paid more than twice as much as for those 
which were obtained here on my arrival. 

Leaving this place on the 7th, and pursuing a course to the south- 
ward, we fell in, a week after, with the ship Ulysses, of Boston, Cap- 
tain Lamb. This ship had arrived on the coast a month before us ; 
but the success which ought to have resulted from so early an arrival 
was defeated by a mutiny of long and ruinous duration. Thus it 
appears that no less than three ships had arrived on the coast before 
us, and that to accident, not less than to industry and perseverance, 
were we indebted for our great success. 

A long continued southerly wind so retarded our passage to Char- 
lotte's Islands, that we did not reach the Skittigates, (the largest tribe 
of these islands,) till the 20th, having found it advisable to make a 
harbor on the way, where we lay three days, and were screened from 
the effects of a southeast gale. In the mean time our men were 
employed in replenishing our stock of wood and water. When near 
to the Skittigates, it being calm and the current running out, we 
anchored about two miles north of their village. As this was a 
numerous and warlike tribe, whose intercourse with foreigners had 
been great, and to whose hostility and treachery some of them had 
fallen victims, there was a necessity for the observance of all that 
vigilance on our part, to guard against surprise, that we had been in 
the practice of observing. One of this tribe, in order to decoy men 
ashore, covered himself in a bear's skin, and came out of the border 
of the wood, on all fours, abreast the ship, while a party lay in ambush 
ready to fire on those who should come in pursuit. The stratagem 
would have succeeded, had not one of the natives been too earnest to 
come forward, so as to be discovered in time for the boat to retreat, 
before any mischief had occurred. 



106 FIRST VOYAGE. 

Soon after anchoring a canoe came to us, from which we procured 
three skins. The Indians in this canoe assured us that there were 
plenty of skins at the village, and manifested a desire that we should 
go there. In the morning of the 21st, several canoes came to us 
with some of the inferior chiefs. They were very urgent in their 
entreaties for us to go up to the village, alleging that it was so far for 
them to come, that many would be deterred by it from bringing their 
skins. Their solicitations, however, were of no avail, as I had no 
doubt that those who had skins to dispose of would not be prevented 
from coming to us by the distance, and that we should avoid the visits 
of the mischievous and idle, by remaining at our present anchorage. 
By nine o'clock, v/e had many canoes assembled about us ; but they 
appeared to be so indifferent about trading, that it was past noon 
before they began ; yet, such was their alacrity when they did begin, 
that by dark they had sold us upwards of one hundred skins, and 
one hundred and thirt}'' tails. The succeeding day was squally and 
unpleasant, and we had a smaller number of the natives about us. 
We purchased, however, eighty-five skins, and as many tails. 
Towards evening a canoe came to us with the son of the chief of the 
Skittigates on board, who told us that if we would remain another 
day, his father would com.e to us, and bring a great many skins. In 
the night, which was perfectly calm, we heard frequent and wild 
bowlings at the village, and occasionally the report of a musket. 

The morning of the 23d was calm, and a favorable current for the 
Indians to come to us ; but, having waited till near noon without 
seeing a single canoe moving, we were at a loss to conjecture the 
reason, more especially after the promise of the king's son, last 
evening. In case, however, of their bringing many skins, as they 
promised, we had not the means of purchasing them, our articles of 
barter being nearly expended. It was therefore judged best not to 
wait to ascertain the cause of such extraordinary conduct; and, having 
a light breeze from the south, we put out with the intention of going 
over to the Coneyaws. 

The next day, when about two leagues south of Point Rose, the 
breeze not being sufhcicnt to enable us to stem the current, we came 
to anclior. Soon afterwards, two large canoes came to us, in one 
of which was a young, good-looking warrior, the son-in-law of 



SENSIBILITY OF A NATIVE. 107 

Coneyaw, who is head chief of the Tytantes tribe, and who, with 
other warriors, had come over on a hostile expedition against 
Cummashaw's tribe. Being so nearly on the point of leaving the 
coast, and therefore fearing no bad consequences from an exposure 
of our weakness, I acceded to the earnest solicitations of this young 
warrior to come on board. This w^as the only one of the natives 
whom we had admitted on board since being on the coast. We 
invited him into the cabin, and gave him a glass of wine, which 
pleased him so much that he soon asked for another. Having made 
me a present of a very fine skin, I made a return of a shirt, jacket, 
and pantaloons, which he immediately put on, and appeared to be 
well satisfied with the figure he made, and much pleased with the 
dress. But the friendly feelings I had inspired suffered a momentary 
interruption, by my careless and apparently rude manner of giving 
him a handkerchief. Being on the opposite side of the cabin from 
that on which I was sitting, I threw it into his lap, which, instead of 
taking, he allowed to roll down on the floor, his feelings so much 
wounded that he actually shed tears ; nor was it without considerable 
effort, that we persuaded him that no insult was intended, by assuring 
him that it arose from my ignorance of the etiquette which custom 
had established among them. This little interruption to our harmony 
was of short duration, the party aggrieved being satisfied with my 
apology ; and having purchased of him and his comrades about sixty 
skins, we parted with mutual good- will and friendship. 

It was now time to make the necessary preparation for leaving the 
coast, by filling up our water-casks, and procuring sufficient wood for 
the passage to China. With this intention we directed our course for 
Tatiskee cove, where, having anchored, we set about cutting wood 
with all diligence, and also procuring our supply of water. This 
work being accomplished, we were ready for our departure on the 
26th ; but the wind was from the south, and the weather rainy and 
boisterous. It was therefore decidedly most advantageous for us to 
lie quietly in the snug port where we were anchored, and wait for a 
fair wind and the return of good weather before putting to sea. 

The wind having changed to the westward during the night, on the 
morning of the 27th of June we weighed anchor for the last time on 
the coast, and put to sea, intending to reconnoitre North Island before 



108 FIRST VOYAGE. 

bidding farewell to the coast. But, owing to a contrary current, it 
was late in the afternoon before we passed the southern point of 
Kiganny ; previous to which we were boarded by the celebrated chief 
Kow, a man whose intelligence and honest demeanor recommended 
him to all who had any dealings with him. He had always been in 
the habit of coming on board the Cutter on her former voyages, 
and had never failed to receive the most generous and friendly 
treatment from Captain Lay, her former master, whom he was much 
disappointed in not finding on board. For the few skins he had we 
paid him liberally ; and he left us much satisfied. 

The following day, at noon, we had arrived opposite and near to 
the village on North Island. A number of canoes soon came off*, in 
one of which was the chief Coneyaw, and in another Eltargee. The 
latter had, a year or two ago, accidentally, it was said, caused the 
death of a Captain Newberry, by the discharge of a pistol, which he 
did not know was loaded. His looks, however, were so much against 
him, and, in the short intercourse we had with him, his actions and 
manner so corresponded with his looks, that I should require the 
clearest evidence to be satisfied that the disaster was purely the effect 
of accident. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Sail for Sandwicli Islands -^ Satisfaction — Owhyhee — Provisions and Fruit — Natives 
— Mo wee — Proceed westward — Tinian — Anchor in the Typa — Ship Ontario — 
Reflections caused by her Loss — Proceed to Whampoa and Canton — Tal^e a Fac- 
tory — Contract for the Cargo — Causes operating to discourage a Eetum to the 
Coast — Sell the Cutter — Sail for Calcutta — Malacca — Pulo Pinang — Procure a 
Pilot— Arrive at Calcutta. 



332IB^|^^^i2Ii the few skins offered me, 
amounting to thirty-two, while under sail ; and 
now, having no other object to detain us longer on 
the coast, we, at four, P. M., bade farewell to the 
natives. With a fine breeze from west-northwest, 
I steered to the southwest, not less happy in the 
successful accomplishment of my object, than in 
the reflection of its having been attained without 
injury to the natives, or other than the most friendly 
interchange of commodities with them. Indeed, now 
that I was fairly at sea, and free from the chance of 
those casualties to which I had so long been subjected, 
the relief from anxiety, the comparative feeling of security, 
the satisfaction arising from a thorough performance of 
duty, and from the independence to which it led in this 
instance, can be more easily imagined than described. 
Nor was this pleasure in any degree diminished by the task, which 
yet remained, of proceeding to China ; as this was a passage, for the 
most part, through the trade-winds, where the weather was fine and 
the sea smooth, and where, consequently, one great cause of the dis- 
satisfaction of my men would be removed. 

During our passage to the Sandwich Islands no incident occurred 
to vary the monotony of the voyage. We had none other than a fair 
wind ; indeed the gales were so propitious, that we had sight of 
10 




110 FIRST VOYAGE. 

Owliyhee the twentieth day after taking our departure from the coast 
of America. At three, P. M., of the 19th of July, the snow-capped 
summit of that island was seen above the clouds, at a distance of at 
least twenty-five leagues, and bearing southwest by west. Standing 
in boldly for the shore all night, we were, at dawn, within about a 
mile of it, and saw several beautiful runs of water falling in cascades 
over perpendicular precipices into the sea. We perceived, also, a 
mustering among the natives to come off to us. The sea, however, 
was so rough, that only two or three attempted it ; and having bought 
of these a few melons and cabbages, we proceeded to leeward, 
towards Toiyahyah Bay, in the hope of finding smoother water. 
This was discovered as soon as we doubled round Kohollo Point, 
when a multitude of canoes came off to us, bringing a great supply 
of hogs, potatoes, taro, cabbages, water and musk melons, sugar- 
cane, &LC. 

We admitted a chief on board, who, while he kept the natives in 
order, and guarded us against having too many on board at a time, 
served us also as a broker, and very much facilitated our purchases. 
He remained on board all night, and was equally serviceable to us 
the next day, when, by noon, having a sufficient supply of every 
thing which the island afforded, we dismissed our broker with satis- 
factory presents, and pursued our course to the westward. 

The very limited intercourse we had with the natives of this island 
was hardly sufficient to enable us to form a correct judgment of their 
general character. The contrast which their cleanliness forms with 
the filthy appearance of the natives of the Northwest Coast, will not 
fail to attract the attention of the most unobserving. Nor have they 
less advantage over their Northwest neighbors in the size, shape, 
and gracefulness of their persons, and in the open, laughing, generous, 
and animated expression of their countenances. The characteristics 
of these islanders are activity, gayety, volatility, and irritability ; 
those of the Northwest Indians, heaviness, melancholy, austerity, 
ferocity, and treachery. They are, perhaps, in each case, such as 
would naturally be inferred to be the effect of climate operating on 
the materials of rude and savage characters. 

The expertness of these islanders in the art of swimming has been 
remarked by the earliest navigators; and Meares mentions some 



SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



Ill 



divers, who, in attempting to recover an anchor he had lost, remained 
under water during the space of five minutes. Whether there are 
any such at the present day, is very doubtful ; although it must be 
confessed I saw no evidence that would induce the belief of their 
talent being in any degree diminished. 

On the 21st we saw the Island Mo wee, bearing north by east, about 
twelve leagues distant. Our course to the westward was attended with 
the weather which is usual in the trade-winds, in general fine, though 
sometimes interrupted by a squall, which serves to rouse the sailor 
from the inactivity which a long course of such weather is apt to 
produce. With a moderate and even sea rolling after, and helping 
us on our course, and with a great abundance and variety of such 
products of the vegetable world as we had long been destitute of, we 
were living so luxuriously, and sailing along so much at our ease, so 
entirely free from any thing like labor or fatigue, that our men 
appeared to consider it as an ample compensation for the fatigue and 
exposure of the first part of the voyage. 

On the 15th of August, 1799, we passed between the islands Agui- 
gan and Tinian, and very near to the latter ; but, as it was after dark 
when we were nearest it, we had not an opportunity of seeing those 
beauties which are so pleasingly described by the narrator of Lord 
Anson's voyage, as well as by more recent navigators. In our passage 
between these and the Bashi Islands, we had so great a portion of 
westerly winds, that we did not reach the latter till the 8th of Sep- 
tember, having, during that period, experienced much rainy, squally, 
and disagreeable weather. We passed the Bashi Islands in the night, 
with a moderate breeze from east-southeast ; and the following night 
we were among tide-rips, which caused such a roar, and so great an 
agitation of the water, as to resemble breakers. 

On the 13th, we saw the east end of the Grand Lema, and, at 
three o'clock next morning, sailed between its western end and the 
island next to it ; and, passing the island of Lantao at dawn, we came 
to anchor in the Typa at eleven o'clock, A. M. I immediately went 
ashore and made report to the Governor, engaged a pilot to come on 
board in the morning, and spent an hour with an American resident 
supercargo, who gave me much European and other news. 

From this gentleman I learned that the ship Ontario, with her 



112 



FIRST VOYAGE. 



cargo, had been totally lost a few days after leaving Canton for New- 
York. This was the ship in which I had been so eager to embark. 
I had come very near having my desire gratified, and had been 
severely disappointed when I found that the place I wished was filled 
by another. If I had succeeded, ruin must have been the conse- 
quence. My emotions on hearing this news were of a mingled 
character ; while I mourned over the fate of a worthy friend, I was 
filled with gratitude at my own escape, and my present prosperity ; the 
feelings of discontent in which I had sometimes indulged were 
rebuked ; I was taught to bear disappointments with patience and 
resignation, as we cannot foresee the good which may result from 
them ; and I was inspired with that confidence in a superintending 
Providence, which affords repose to the spirit under all the trials of 
life. 

In conformity with his engagement, the pilot came on board in the 
morning as soon as the tide served, when, having weighed anchor, we 
beat out of the Typa and passed Macao roads with a moderate breeze 
at southeast, which continued so light throughout the day that we did 
not reach Anson's Bay till nearly midnight. Here we anchored till 
the tide became favorable, when, proceeding to Whampoa, we arrived 
there and anchored above the fleet in the night of the 15th. 

Having, the next day, taken a boat for Canton, I accepted the hos- 
pitality of one of my countrymen till I could procure a factory. In 
the mean time, I gave letters to several China merchants, directed to 
my officer on board, to permit the bearers of them to examine the 
cargo, I engaged the factory No. 1, Nuequas Hong, and as soon as 
it was furnished, moved into it. On the 25th of September, having 
had various offers for the cargo, and the best being that of Nuequa, I 
contracted with him for it at the rate of twenty-three dollars a skin, 
cash, or twenty-six dollars to be paid in produce, or any proportion 
at these rates. 

This contract being made, and the payment to be prompt on delivery 
of the cargo, it became necessary to determine, without delay, what 
course it was most advisable to pursue next. The cutter, independ- 
ently of the objection of size, being a foreign bottom, could not take 
a cargo to the United States without being subjected to the payment 
of such increased duties as would be equal to the amount of the 



SELL THE CUTTER. 113 

freight of an American bottom. To return again to the Northwest 
Coast offered a prospect as promising as any plan which presented 
itself to my mind, and could I have obtained an orderly crew, might 
have been the most advisable. But to undertake another voyage with 
a crew composed of such men as I had, (and none besides deserters 
from other ships could be procured,) was little better than living for 
such time with a knife at my throat; which, at any unguarded 
moment, might be made to close the scene. The small size of the 
vessel was another important objection ; as, besides the privations 
inseparable from navigating in it, there was an increased danger from 
the hostility of the savages. And as, in consequence, a greater 
number of men was required than could be well lodged and provi- 
sioned for so long a time, this tended to create among them dissatis- 
faction, sullenness, and finally mutiny. Besides this, my inclination 
for such uncommon exposure and fatigue, was diminished in propor- 
tion to the recent increase of my fortune. 

From these considerations, — and not entirely uninfluenced by a 
desire of visiting the capital of British India, I made an arrangement 
to this effect, by disposing of the cutter to Robert Berry, Esq., and a 
cargo of teas and other articles of his selection, to the amount of 
fifteen thousand dollars, making together twenty-one thousand dollars ; 
for which I took a respondentia bond with a premium about equal to 
the risk, and interest, payable three months after my arrival at 
Calcutta. In addition to this, I took with me gold bars to the amount 
of three thousand dollars. 

In the mean time, while coming to this decision, my cargo had 
been transported to Canton and delivered to the purchaser ; my crew 
had been paid off, and a new one shipped of less than half the number 
of the former voyage. The cutter again became the Dragon ; hoisted 
English colors, and had an English master appointed to her, because 
by our treaty with Great Britain it was not permitted us to bring a 
cargo from China to Calcutta in an American vessel. 

The cargo for account of Mr. B. having been shipped, and having 
made an agreement with him to ship to my friends in the United 
States, as opportunities for freighting offered, the remainder of the 
proceeds of my cargo of furs, I proceeded to Whampoa on the 20th 
October, 1799 ; where finding all things ready, I embarked as 
10* 



114 FIRST VOYAGE. 

passenger, and the next day weighed anchor and run down between 
first and second bar ; where we received our sea stock from the Hop- 
poo man ; and when the tide made in our favor, took advantage of it as 
far as Anson's Bay, where arriving at dark, and having appearances 
of bad weather, we came to anchor. Towards the latter part of the 
night the wind became more easterly and increased with rain ; and 
at daylight it blew with a degree of violence which amounted to a 
typhoon, and which it seemed as if nothing but the hills were capable 
of resisting. Here our good fortune was again manifest ; for if we 
had been ready only twelve hours sooner, we must have encountered 
this gale in a position that would have rendered our chance of escap- 
ing shipwreck very small. As it was, while riding in a smooth bay, 
the wind blowing off the shore, from which we lay not more than a 
cable's length, we parted our cable, and brought up with our best 
bower, with which we rode out the gale in safety. The 23d the gale 
abated, but it continued all day very rainy, squally, disagreeable 
weather ; we therefore lay at anchor, and employed some Chinames; 
to get the anchor from which the cable had parted, in which they" 
succeeded without much difficulty, brought it to us, and received theii 
reward. The wind generally southeast. 

The next day the wind was light and baffling ; but in the night 
came round to the northward, with clear weather ; and on the 25th 
we passed Macao roads, where we saw two large English ships, one 
of which had lost all her topmasts, doubtless in the late gale. We 
passed near to and spoke the ship Eliza, Rowan, who had been to 
the Spanish coast since we had seen them. With a strong breeze 
from east-northeast, we steered to the southwest, and, at dawning of 
the 28th, were near to the China coast, having passed in sight ofPulo 
Campella. In the course of the following night, we passed near to 
Pulo Canton, and then steered south-southeast. The coast was in 
sight most of the day, and a strong current in our favor, as was man- 
ifest from the circumstance of making one hundred ninety-three 
miles difference of latitude. We saw the high land abreast Pulo 
Cecir, on the 31st, and also the Island Pulo Cecir demar, and, at the 
same time, were on the bank of Holland, apparently in no very deep 
water. The next day we were prevented seeing Pulo Condor by 
reason of a hazy atmosphere. 



MALACCA. 115 

On the 3d day of November the weather was very squally, and 
wind variable. In the night sounded several times in thirty and twenty- 
five fathoms, and, at dawning, saw Pulo Timoan. We entered the 
straits between point Romania and Piedra Blanca on the 5th ; after 
which, steered west by south for St. John's Island, and, having passed 
it, we took the wind from west-southwest, and beat through the nar- 
rows between the Rabbit and Coney and Red Island. We continued 
to work to the westward, with the wind for the most part from that 
quarter, and occasionally anchoring when the current was against us. 

While at anchor, close in with the shore, between mount Formosa 
and mount Moora, we saw a fleet of eleven Malay proas pass by to 
the eastward, from whose view we supposed ourselves to have been 
screened by the trees and bushes near to which we were lying. On 
perceiving so great a number of large proas sailing together, we 
had scarcely a doubt of their being pirates, and therefore immediately 
loaded our guns and prepared for defence ; though conscious that the 
fearful odds in numbers between our crew of ten men and theirs, 
which probably exceeded a hundred to each vessel, left us scarce a 
ray of hope of successful resistance. We watched their progress, 
therefore, with that intense interest which men may naturally be 
supposed to feel, whose fortune, liberty, and life, were dependent on 
the mere chance of their passing by without seeing us. To our great 
joy, they did so ; and when the sails of the last of the fleet were no 
longer discernible from deck, and we realized the certainty of 
escape, our feelings of relief were in proportion to the danger which 
had threatened us. 

Arriving at Malacca on the 11th, the curiosity of the people was 
greatly excited to know how we had escaped the fleet of pirates 
which had been seen from the town ; as the strait to the eastward is 
so narrow that it appeared to them to be impossible for us to pass 
without seeing each other ; and when informed of our being screened 
by the trees from their sight, they offered us their hearty and reiterated 
congratulations. 

Having the next day filled up our water-casks, and laid in a supply 
of vegetables and fruit sufficient for our consumption till our arrival 
at Calcutta, we should without further delay have proceeded on our 
voyage, had the prospect been favorable ; but the westerly winds 



116 FIRST VOYAGE. 

continued to blow with such violence for several days immediately 
succeeding our arrival, that it was evidently the part of wisdom to lay 
at anchor till their force had abated, which was not the case till the 14th, 
when there was less wind throughout the day. In the evening the land 
breeze came off strong, and being all ready to take advantage of it, we 
weighed anchor, made sail, and stood to the westward on a wind all 
night ; and, at dawning, tacked to the northward and came in with 
the land about three miles east of Cape Ricardo. 

The town of Malacca is situated in a level country near the sea, 
and is defended by works built on a rocky foundation, and of great 
height. It was taken from the Portuguese by the Dutch in 1640, and 
remained in their possession till taken from them in the late war by 
the English, who held it at the time I was there. Its inhabitants are 
composed of Dutch, Portuguese, English, Chinese, and Malays. The 
trade of this place was very much diminished in consequence, princi- 
pally, of the increasing growth of the English settlement at Pulo 
Pinang. The revenue arising from imports and exports was this 
year, (1799,) farmed to some Chinese residents for fifty-two thousand 
dollars. There are several very pretty country-seats about three 
miles from the town ; and the country generally abounds with the 
cocoa-nut tree. But its latitude, only two degrees north of the 
equator, deters all Europeans from making it their residence, except- 
ing those who are willing to sacrifice comfort to the acquisition of 
wealth. 

While proceeding on our passage to the westward w^e were frequently 
obliged to anchor in deep water ; and on the night of the 15th, while 
lying in twenty-four fathoms, a squall came with such violence as to 
part our cable, and caused the loss of our anchor ; a circumstance 
the more to be regretted as we had but one more, and had yet a pros- 
pect before us of frequent anchoring. On the 19th and 20th the 
Island of Pulo Pinang was in sight, the wind light from northwest. 
As the winds during the daytime were very light and variable, we 
made but slow progress in getting to the north, and even this only by 
keeping close in with the shore, and taking advantage of the land 
breeze, which came off regularly, and generally in squalls of rain, 
thunder, and lightning. In the five days between the 22d and 27th, 
we had made only three degrees difference of latitude, having passed, 
in the time, near a great many islands. 



ARRIVE AT CALCUTTA. 117 

On the 3d December we saw Diamond Island, after passing which 
we had the regular northeast monsoon. The two succeeding days 
we were in sight of the island Cheduba, and the coast of Ava. 

Being now in latitude 19® north, we steered to the northwest with 
the wind free, and on the 10th anchored in fifteen fathoms near the 
sand heads, it being calm. The next morning at daylight a number 
of vessels were near us, from one of which we procured a pilot, who 
informed us that the large ships then near us were the Lord Hawkes- 
bury and a Portuguese ship bound in, the latter of which had had an 
engagement, and beaten off a French privateer of eighteen guns the 
day before, and that the Company's cruiser. Nonsuch, had gone in 
pursuit of her. Another fortunate escape; as, arriving one day 
earlier, we should have fallen into the hands of this privateer, and, 
being under English colors, the property would have been a total loss. 
In the night we came to anchor near the shipping in Saugur Eoads ; 
the next day we got as far as Cudjeree ; the day following to Fulta ; 
and on the 13th of December, 1799, arrived safely at Calcutta. 



CHAPTER IX 



Captain Lay — Take a House — Servants — George pressed — Application for Ms 
Eelease to Town Major and to the Chief of Police —Unsuccessful— To Lord Mom- 
ington— George restored — His Gratitude — American Commerce — Buy a Boat — 
Danish Flag — Deer Hunt by Tigers — Observations on Calcutta — Sail for Isle of 
France — Culpu — Danger in passing the Barabulla — Arrival at Isle of France. 




ISM-IS I met again my worthy friend Captain Lay, 
of whom I bought the cutter, and of whose kind 
hospitality Captain Hassell and myself availed 
ourselves till we could procure and prepare a house. 
For a hotel, or a public boarding-house, was a thing 
unknown in this country. 

Having ascertained from the consignee of the 
cutter, that the cargo being of dull sale, there was 
no prospect of his being able to pay the amount of the 
respondentia bond before the expiration of the time 
specified therein, it was obvious that I had a detention 
of three months before me, unless I should find it 
advantageous to lay in an investment for the United States, 
and could make an arrangement for its payment when the 
bond became due. I therefore sought a house distant from 
the business part of the town, and where the rent would be propor- 
tionally low. Such a one I found in the Bow Bazaar, had it furnished 
in the most economical style, and took possession on the 15th of 
December. The multitude of servants, which custom required for 
the establishment of those even, who were desirous of living in the 



most frugal manner, 



alarming. Mine, including palanquin- 



bearers, cooks, stewards, and waiters, amounted to eight, exclusive of 
my black man, George ; a number that seems to be enough to ruin a 
man of small fortune, till it is considered how very small is their pay, 
and how little their food costs compared with ours. 



IMPRESSMENT OF GEORGE. 119 

Being thus established, and my mind made up for a state of inac- 
tivity for the next three months, I was the better able to enjoy the 
relaxation from the sense of its being unavoidable. I rambled about 
the town in the morning before the heat became oppressive ; books 
afforded a resource during the day ; and towards evening I was taken 
in my palanquin to the river's side, where, alighting, I walked on 
the Esplanade to Fort William, and was charmed with the music of 
a fine military band, which played there every evening. In this way, 
with little variation, the first ten days of my residence in Calcutta 
were passed. Nor had I any idea that the remainder of my term 
there would not slide away in the same even course. For I did not 
conceive that there was a chance of my coming in collision with any 
one, much less with the municipal authorities of the place. 

But from this state of quiet I was one day roused by the entrance 
of one of the messengers of the police office, who informed me that 
a black man, who said he was in my service, had been taken up as a 
sailor, and that I must appear directly at the office, and state my 
claim to him, or he would be sent on board ship. Instead of attending 
this summons in person, I sent, by the same messenger, a note, 
stating that the black man in question was my servant, and begged he 
might be released forthwith. This proceeding was probably consid- 
ered to be disrespectful, as it was of no avail. George's absence 
continuing, I went in the afternoon in pursuit, and found, on inquiry, 
that he had been put into the custody of the town major, who resided 
in Fort William, in order to be sent, with others who had been pressed, 
on board an Indiaman lying in the river below. It was evening 
before I could find this officer, whom I begged to suspend sending 
George with the others till I could see the magistrate and obtain his 
release. But he told me his orders were peremptory, and that he 
should be obliged to send him away as soon as the tide was favorable, 
to be put on board the Sir Stephen Lushington. 

I now almost despaired of ever again seeing my trusty man, whose 
fidelity had been so thoroughly proved, and for whose situation I felt 
the greatest sympathy, not unmingled with remorse at not having 
gone to the office in person to claim him. So entirely did this sub- 
ject absorb my mind, that I was dreaming of it all night. The next 
day, being Christmas, the police office was closed. I therefore went, 



120 FIRST VOYAGE. 

between nine and ten o'clock in the morning, to the dwelling of the 
magistrate, who, I was informed, had just gone out to call on the 
Captain of the Indiaman, on board which George had been sent. I 
hastened to the house where they were, and was introduced by a 
servant in livery into a spacious apartment, where were the two 
gentlemen, apparently on the point of going to church. 

His worship was a portly, good-looking man, of about sixty, dressed 
in a full suit of black, with a powdered wig. On my entering the 
room, both gentlemen rose and advanced towards me, when, address- 
ing myself to the Justice with the humility of a person who is going 
to ask a very great favor of a man so very great, that he had only to 
nod and it is granted, I made known my business. He replied by 
inquiring, in a tone which indicated a sense of the advantage he had 
over me, why I had not appeared at the office, when sent for to claim 
the man. I told him, that, being engaged at the time, I supposed my 
certificate would have been sufficient to insure his release. " No," 
he said, " it was not," and added, in a tone and manner which was 
any thing but respectful, " the fellow whom you call your servant I 
believe to be a good sailor ; as such I have sent him on board ship, 
and shall give no directions for his emancipation." 

Indignant at such treatment, I replied in a tone of which he had 
set the example, " Such proceeding, Sir, is very extraordinary. I 
doubt its being sanctioned by Lord Mornington. And why cannot 
you take me, and send me on board ship, with the same propriety you 
do my servant ? " Such a question, in such a tone, from so young a 
man, and one whose demeanor had been so meek, was evidently 
unexpected, and seemed to rouse the wrath of his worship to the 
highest pitch. His face became like scarlet. He seized hold of his 
newly-powdered wig, and pulled it over one ear, made a complete 
revolution on his heel, and, with fire flashing in his eyes, stamped on 
the floor, and in a stentorian voice demanded, •' And who are you. 
Sir ? " (At this time I observed that the other gentleman, not being 
able to suppress his laughter, had turned away.) I replied, " I am an 
American citizen, Sir, and one who is not unacquainted with what is 
due to that character." " Well, where do you live. Sir, — your name,. 
— your address ? " taking out his paper and pencil, and writing in 
a hurried and agitated manner ; and then observed, " I shall send for 



RELEASE OF GEORGE. 121 

you to-morrow, Sir." I told him I should not let the business rest till 
to-morrow, made my bow, and left him. 

It was now very evident that I must procure the interference of 
superior authority, or I might not only lose George, but be subject to 
some annoyance myself. I therefore went home, and immediately set 
about writing a letter to the Governor-General. The facts I had to 
state were very simple and clear ; the oppression of which I had to 
complain I was satisfied could not be countenanced ; and I therefore 
felt a confidence in a happy result. As soon as my letter was written, 
I went with it myself to the palace, and delivered it to the Secretary 
of his Excellency, who, on ascertaining its contents, assured me that 
immediate attention should be paid to it. Nor could there have been 
any delay in fulfilling this promise by sending the same night to the 
ship, which lay several miles below ; as, before ten o'clock next 
morning, George made his appearance at my house, accompanied by 
an orderly sergeant, who had been sent to conduct him to me. 

As I heard nothing further from the magistrate, I concluded that he 
received a word of advice from high authority, by which others of 
my countrymen may have escaped a similar annoyance. Never was 
joy more clearly depicted in any countenance than in George's when 
he met me. He showed his white teeth, and making an effort to 
express his gratitude, exclaimed, " O massa, a tousand tanks, a tousand 
tanks, George be glad to sarve you he lifetime." This joy was indeed 
reciprocal ; for, if from no other cause, we had passed together 
through too many trying scenes not to have excited in me the greatest 
sympathy for his detention, and no less pleasure at his release. 

The commerce of the United States with Calcutta at that period 
was very different from what it is at present. During the three 
months of my residence there, no less than twelve ships were laden 
with the produce and manufactures of Hindostan for the United 
States, whose cargoes would average about two hundred thousand 
dollars each. This demand for manufactures, for which the pur- 
chasers preferred to pay an increased price, rather than to keep their 
ships waiting, had a tendency, in the course of two months, to raise 
the prices twenty per cent., and entirely discouraged my thinking of 
an investment for the United States. Nor could I reconcile to myself 
a longer period of inactivity than that limited by the receipts of the 
11 



122 FIRST VOYAGE. 

amount of the respondentia bond, especially as the sultry and 
unhealthy season was advancing. 

While in doubt what course to pursue, the Isle of France was 
suggested, among other plans, as offering a fair field for speculation. 
The great success of the privateers from that place led to the infer- 
ence, that prize ships and prize goods would be procurable there at 
very low rates. And as the Danes, at this time, were the only 
European neutrals, a cargo could be transported from thence to 
Tranquebar, under the Danish flag, in safety, and with great profit. 
But, how to get to the Isle of France ? this was a difficulty of no 
trifling magnitude. There was no vessel going in which I could take 
passage. To purchase one to go to a place where I supposed them to 
be so abundant and cheap, would be " carrying coals to Newcastle ; " 
besides which it would have been difficult, in a vessel of moderate 
size, to escape the vigilance of the Bengal government, who were 
decidedly hostile to all intercourse with the Isle of France. 

I determined, therefore, to procure a boat of a size so diminutive as 
to elude observation, and, at the same time, of so little value that 
much could not be lost on a re-sale. Such an one I found at Calcutta 
nearly finished, of about twenty-five tons, which I soon made a bar- 
gain for, to be completed immediately, to be rigged as a pilot boat, with 
mainsail, foresail, and jib ; to be coppered to the bends, and to be 
delivered, as soon as possible, at the Danish settlement of Serampore ; 
for which I engaged to pay five thousand rupees. The contract being 
in due time fulfilled by the delivery of the vessel at Serampore, I 
there got her put under the Danish flag ; and a cargo of oil, wax, 
ghie, &c. purchased to the amount of five thousand rupees, of suf- 
ficient weight only to put her in good ballast trim. As the x\mericans, 
at this time, had a kind of pseudo war with the French, it was advis- 
able to neglect no precaution in guarding against embarrassment that 
might arise on this account ; and I therefore became a burgher of 
the Danish settlement of Serampore. 

While these transactions were in progress, the time had come 
round for the payment of the bond ; the amount of which was forth- 
coming at that moment. I had now passed three months in the city 
of Calcutta, having made during the time no other excursion than one 
to Serampore, and another to the botanic garden. The former makes 



CALCUTTA. 123 

a very pleasing appearance along the margin of the river. To the 
extent of nearly a mile, well-built houses, neatly white-washed, give 
it the appearance of being larger than it really is, as the town is of 
very limited extent back from the river. The botanic garden is 
pleasantly situated on a bend of the Hoogly, called Garden reach, 
but it was not neatly kept. No temperature can be more delightful 
than that of Calcutta during the months of December, January, and 
February. It is very dry and healthful ; and the nights I found to be 
invariably cool and comfortable, though there is always a necessity 
for the use of mosquito curtains. 

During my residence at Calcutta, I witnessed an amusement which, 
I believe, is peculiar to India, the chase of deer by tigers. The arena 
occupied a space of more than a hundred acres, the borders of which 
were lined with mounted dragoons to guard against mischief from 
the tigers. The tigers had a blind of leather over their eyes, were 
led by a string held by their black keepers, and appeared to be under 
perfect control. They had belonged to Tippoo Saib, and were much 
smaller than the royal tiger. While one of them was held by his 
keeper at one end of the field, the deer was let loose in the centre. 
At this moment, the blind being removed from the eyes of the tiger, 
he darted forward with inconceivable velocity ; and although the deer 
put forth all his strength to escape, the tiger had caught him before 
he had reached the other extremity of the field. It was a cruel 
sport ; and I did not wait to see a repetition, or how the tigers were 
again brought under control. 

But the English resident of Calcutta seems to think less of the 
amusements which are peculiar to Europe, than of indulging himself 
in the utmost refinement of luxury, which the combined ingenuity of 
European and Asiatic epicures can invent. The multitude of servants, 
which custom seems to have rendered necessary to the man of fortune, 
and to which he becomes familiarized by habit, commonly unfits him 
for a residence in Europe afterwards. His durvan, peons, circars, 
chubdars, harcareahs, huccabadar, jemmadar, and consumas, form a 
list of obsequious beings, each, at the masters's nod, ready to perform 
the duty peculiar to his office with a cheerfulness and alacrity, such 
as a despot does not always receive from his slave. He is dressed 
and undressed, washed, shaved, and combed, without any effort of 
his own, and precisely as if he were incapable of any exertion. 



124 FIRST VOYAGE. 

The dinner hour is usually after sunset ; and convivial parties sel- 
dom retire before midnight. Over the dinner table is hung an im- 
mense fan, extending the whole length of the table ; and this being put 
in motion by strings attached to it, pulled by servants in adjoining 
rooms, there is always a breeze to counteract the effect of hot soups 
and meats in a hot climate. There is a great variety of fruits pecu- 
liar to the climate, of fine quality and very abundant and cheap. 

At the period of my residence in Calcutta there were no buildings, 
public or private, which would be remarked by a stranger for their 
architectural beauty or magnificence, or as conforming to the generally 
received idea of the splendor of the British capital of India. But 
any defect in this respect was amply compensated for by the magni- 
tude, the strength, the beauty, and extraordinary neatness of Fort 
William. The complete and elegant finish which has been given to 
it affords proof of the command of ample means. The cost is said 
to have been two millions sterling. Of this fort, and the fine military 
band which played every evening, I retain the most lively and pleas- 
ing recollections ; and not less so, of the civility of several officers 
of the garrison. Very few evenings passed that I was not present, 
and never failed to be equally delighted with the order, discipline, 
extreme neatness, and soldier-like appearance of the troops, as well 
as the performers, and with those sweet sounds, which seemed to 
remain vibrating on the ear long after they had in reality ceased. 

The horrid tragedy of the Black Hole of Calcutta has given to it 
such dreadful notoriety as will make the event familiar to ages yet 
unborn. Over the spot on which it occurred is erected an obelisk, 
which already gives indications that it is not long destined to perpetu- 
ate the sad story for which it was erected. 

The black town, as it is called from being exclusively inhabited by 
natives, extends to the north of the other. The buildings are com- 
posed of very frail materials, mud walls, mats, and bamboos ; and the 
streets being narrow, conflagrations are frequent and extensive. The 
natives of Hindostan are remarked for an amiability of disposition, an 
evenness of temper, and habits of regularity and docility, which 
render them invaluable as domestics, and I have been assured .they 
are not less remarkable for their fidelity and honesty. But the most 
striking feature in the character of these people is their veneration 



DEPARTURE FROM CALCUTTA. 125 

for the customs and institutions of their ancestors. Their food, their 
dress, their processions, and marriages, are all under the jurisdiction 
of religion. It prescribes rules of conduct under all circumstances, 
and there is scarcely any thing, however trifling, which it treats with 
indifference. Many of the native merchants possess large fortunes, 
and some of them have apartments fitted up in the European style, 
and live at a corresponding expense. 

On the 18th of March I saw my boat pass by Calcutta, which, in 
conformity with previous arrangements, was to wait for me above 
Fulta. As no notice was taken of her by the English authorities 
when she passed, I felt secure from any interruption from that quarter. 
The next day, with the balance of my funds in bills and gold mohurs, 
I proceeded in a native boat, accompanied by my man George, to 
join the vessel. In conformity with an understanding with the osten- 
sible owner, I found her manned with a Danish captain and mate and 
four lascar seamen ; and myself and servant embarked in the quality 
of passengers. Soon after joining the vessel, as the tide was favora- 
ble, we proceeded on our course and came to anchor at Fulta, in order 
to purchase a supply of fowls, &c., but found their stock to have 
been exhausted by sales made to vessels which had preceded us. 

The next night we had very heavy squalls from the westward, 
accompanied with much thunder and lightning, and were compelled 
by their violence to let go a second anchor. The succeeding day the 
weather became pleasant, but, the wind being against us, we turned 
down with the ebb as far as Culpee, where we anchored for the night, 
and the next morning went ashore and purchased a stock of ducks, 
fowls, fruit, &c., sufficient for the passage. The next ebb carried 
us to Cudgeree, where, in consequence of a gale from the south, we 
lay at anchor the two succeeding days ; nor, with so much wind, 
could we have proceeded if we had desired, as, in the hurry for de- 
spatch, the sail-maker had neglected to put in any greemmits for reef- 
ing ; and all on board who could handle a needle were set about this , 
business. 

On the 25th the weather became settled, and when we arrived 

opposite Ingerby, the black pilot, who had conducted the vessel from 

Serampore, left us, having previously given us directions how to 

steer. The tide was now strong and running with the velocity which 

11* 



126 FIRST VOYAGE. 

IS peculiar to this river, when we suddenly and unexpectedly found 
ourselves in only seven feet water, having, as we supposed, mistaken 
the direction of the pilot and taken the wrong side of the buoy on 
the little BarabuUa. We had scarcely time to reflect on the conse* 
quences of touching, before we had passed over the shoal and were 
again in deep water. When the tide had ceased to be favorable we 
anchored, and again pursued our course when it set out, and, in the 
evening of the 28th, we anchored in Balasore Roads, and lay becalmed 
during the night. 

Early the following morning we hauled up our anchor, and, with a 
brisk breeze from south-southwest, stood out on a wind to the south- 
east. While passing out of the Bay of Bengal, we had very variable 
winds, and generally good weather ; nor, indeed, had we any occur- 
rence during the passage worthy of remark. The boat, which was 
named the Maria, was quite as uncomfortable as I had anticipated, 
and this, not so much from its contracted size, as from the scorching 
effects of the sun, which was most of the passage nearly vertical, 
and from the rain ; for our only retreat was of a kind that would not 
be considered by every one the least of the two evils. In this con- 
fined state passed forty-five days before we arrived at the Isle of 
France, on the 14th of May. 



CHAPTER X. 



Good Foi'tune — Visit the Governor — His Civility — William Slialer — Dinner at tlie 
Governor's — Sell the Vessel and Cargo — Isle of Bourbon — St. Dennis — > St. Paul's 
— Eiviere D'Aborde — Mr. Nairac — Dinner Party — Pass near the Volcano — • 
St. Bcnoit — Keturn to St. Dennis — Eetum to Isle of France — Death of the Gov- 
ernor — Honors to his Memory — Entiy of a Hamburg Ship — Cut out by English 
Boats — Purchase Coffee — Confiance and Kent — Mode of Capture — -Bravery and 
Generosity of Surcouffe — Brig Traveller — A Duel — Kent sold — Freight her — 
Naturaliste and Geographe. 




^ was fortunate for us that we escaped those gales 
which are very common to windward of the Isle of 
France during the hurricane months, and which 
could scarcely have failed to put us and our specu- 
lations at rest together. The attempting such a 
passage in such a vessel was certainly imprudento 
It was not so much owing to ignorance of the risk, as 
to that impatience, which would not permit ordinary 
difficulties to interfere with, or obstruct the pursuit of, 
a favorite object. 

If the vessel, in which I arrived at the Cape of Good 
Hope, created surprise in the inhabitants, this, of little 
more than half the size, could not fail to excite the curiosity 
and wonder of the people of the Isle of France. Conse- 
quently, a great crowd assembled on the quay to see a vessel 
approaching it, which, unlike all others that entered the port, did not 
anchor, but was conducted by the pilot directly to the landing for 
boats. Exclamations of astonishment were interchanged by those 
collected near the boat, when it was understood by them where we 
were from. Some remarked on the hazard of such an undertaking ; 
others on the apparent absence of all comfort ; and others were 
earnest to know if we had experienced any bad weather, and 



128 FIRST VOYAGE. 

expressing a belief, that we could not have survived one of those 
gales which are common in this vicinity at this season of the year. 

While accompanying the linguist to the Governor's and the Intend- 
ant's, the multitude walked up near us ; and, as no one suspected that 
I understood the French language, I heard such remarks as, " This 
gendeman has nothing like a Dane m his appearance." " No," was 
the reply, " he looks like a Cheechee ; " and in truth I had become 
so burnt by long and great exposure, that it was not surprising I 
should be taken for a native of India. Then the object of my voyage 
was discussed. One remarked, that he thought I must have other 
views than those which appeared in the disposal of so trifling a cargo. 
Perhaps I was in pursuit of prize ships. " Then mine would suit his 
purpose," was the reply. Such were some of the observations and 
conjectures which I heard while on my way to the Governor's, and 
which were proofs of the same inquisitiveness, activity, and energy 
which I had observed in this people in a residence of six months 
among them, more than six years before. 

On being introduced to the Governor, (General Malartie,) he 
received me with that urbanity which is a peculiar characteristic of 
the French, and which, banishing restraint, places a stranger at once 
on a footing of familiarity. When I had replied to his various ques- 
tions relative to the news from India, and to the vessels I had seen on 
my passage, he remarked on the peculiarity of my enterprise ; how 
hazardous he considered it ; how out of proportion to the risk he 
considered any profit that could be made on such a cargo ; though, 
he remarked, it was much wanted. He hoped I should sell it well, 
and facetiously observed, that when report was made to him of the 
size of the vessel, he had sent orders to the Captain of the port to see 
that room sufficient was made to admit her entrance. On taking 
leave he invited me to dine with him the next day. 

Having made a like visit of ceremony, but of less duration, to the 
Intendant, I was afterwards free to pursue my own course, and, in the 
first place, went to the residence of the consul of the United States, 
by whom I was assured there would have been no hazard in coming 
in the character of a citizen of the United States, nor any in giving 
evidence that I was not a Dane by taking a room at his house. To 
this proposal I very readily acceded, and became an inmate with 



VISIT THE GOVERNOR. 129 

the only three Americans in the island, one of whom was William 
Shaler, author of " Sketches of Algiers," and for many years consul- 
general of the United States to the Barbary powers. 

Notwithstanding that the Danish and the Hamburgh were the only 
neutral flags m port, (and of these there were but two of the first, 
and one of the latter,) yet the equipment of privateers, the sale and 
re-sale of prizes and their cargoes, and the occasional arrival of a 
slave-ship from Madagascar, kept up the bustle and appearance of 
business. Though the small value of the products of the island 
indicated that this v/as not of the most beneficial and salutary descrip- 
tion. From the earnestness of the brokers to purchase my cargo I 
had no doubt of making a handsome profit on it ; but before accepting 
any proposal I waited till the following morning, that a fair opportunity 
might be given to each of the competitors, when I closed with one of 
them at a rate which gave me about a dollar for the rupee on the 
whole amount of the investment. 

In conformity with my previous engagement I went, at two o'clock, 
to dine with the Governor, who was not less affable than at my first 
introduction. His intercourse with the young officers composing his 
staff, and who constituted the majority of the party, resembled rather 
that of a father with his children, than of a military chief with his 
subalterns. The dinner was served up in plain but handsome style, 
and consisted of a good variety of well-cooked dishes. There pre- 
vailed at table an ease and an entire freedom from restraint, which 
formed a striking contrast to the formality and ceremony I had 
recently had an opportunity of observing at English tables. The 
repast was of about two hours' duration, and finished with coffee and 
liqueurs, when each one unceremoniously withdrew. 

The unlading and delivering my cargo was soon accomplished ; 
and a day or two after I had an application for my vessel from a 
person whose plantation was contiguous to some little river, for navi- 
gating which my boat was peculiarly adapted by her easy draft of 
water. On this part of my speculation I had not anticipated making 
any profit ; the main object being that of a passage, which could be 
obtained in no other way. But I found the gentleman willing to give 
three thousand five hundred dollars for my boat ; and I closed with 
him at that price. Thus there appeared evidently to be a tide in my 



130 



FIRST VOYAGE. 



affairs, which was leading on to fortune ; and I was deriving an 
advantage where I had not anticipated it. 

But a few days' residence satisfied me that I had arrived too late 
to profit by the purchase of any of those vessels or cargoes which 
had previously been sent in. Some of them were already on their 
way to India under the Danish flag ; and others had been purchased 
on speculation, for re-sale, by merchants of the place. From these 
I had several ships proposed to me, but at too high a rate to profit by 
taking them to India. There remained to me, therefore, no other 
alternative than to be ready with my funds, and wait the arrival of 
some of those prizes, which, there was little doubt, would be sent in 
by some one of the numerous and well-appointed cruisers which had 
been despatched from this port. 

A month having elapsed, and no opportunity presenting for invest- 
ing my funds, I determined to make a short excursion to the Isle of 
Bourbon, (or Reunion, as it was then called,) and, on the 14th of 
June, took passage in the brig Creole, Captain Touissante, for St. 
Dennis. During the twenty-four hours immediately succeeding our 
departure, we had a continued gale of wind, which compelled us to 
lie to under a reefed foresail, the sea running very high, and pre- 
vented our anchoring in the road of St. Dennis before noon of the 
16th. A letter of introduction to the most considerable merchant of 
the place procured me access to one of the most accomplished and 
pleasing families of the island, from whom, during my residence 
there, I experienced that polite attention and true hospitality which 
are always the more grateful when, as in this instance, they are 
known to be purely disinterested. 

After a few days' residence in this family, I crossed the mountain 
to the south, by a zig-zag path, accessible to horses, and soon arrived 
at the coffee plantation of Mr. Dumeste, to whom I had a letter, and 
whose hospitality had been made known to me by several of my 
countrymen, who had experienced it. This plantation is beautifully 
situated at a great elevation, commanding a view of the ocean with 
its boundless horizon in the west; and the greater part of the grounds 
which the slaves are employed in cultivating, may be seen from the 
house. The coffee tree, this year, promised an abundant crop, and 
the harvest time would arrive in about six weeks. 



181 

Leaving this charming residence with the most favorable impressions 
of the kind feehngs and amiable character of the owner, I proceeded 
to St. Paul's, which, in point of m.ercantile importance, is the second 
place in the island, the roadstead being generally smoother and 
preferable to that of St. Dennis. The town is situated on part of a 
spacious, flat, and sandy tract, on the border of a large bay ; and 
though it spreads over a considerable extent, as the houses are not 
contiguous, yet the population is very inconsiderable. Its value 
principally consists in being a place of embarkation for the produce 
of the neighboring plantations. The surf on the beach, particularly 
on the full and change of the moon, is often so great as to render 
landing dangerous ; and whenever this is the case a signal is made 
from a flag-staff, erected for the purpose, to notify the vessels which 
may be lying in the road. 

From this port I took a water conveyance to the Riviere d'Aborde, 
and proceeded, on landing, to the plantation of Mr. Nairac, an old 
Irish resident, to whom I had a letter, and who received me with those 
hearty demonstrations of v/elcome which are peculiar to his country- 
men. His long residence among the French had not so entirely 
obliterated the knowledge of his native language, as to prevent his 
conversing in it familiarly ; though from long disuse of it there was 
often evidence of embarrassment in finding terms to express himself. 
Every thing about this plantation gave indication of the wealth of the 
proprietor. Such was its symmetry, its extreme neatness, and the 
beauty of its walks, that it had more the appearance of a garden 
designed for pleasure, than of a plantation intended for profit. The 
prospect, however, was limited in every direction, either by the 
mountains or the tall trees bordering on the premises ; so that the 
resident was as much excluded from the view of the world, as from 
its noise and turbulence. 

As this situation is distant from either of the ports where vessels 
usually anchor, the visit of a stranger is a rare event, and therefore 
proportionally appreciated. This was evinced by the direction given 
to have a fat ox killed, and by sending despatches, in various direc- 
tions, with invitations to come on the morrow and partake of it. 
Accordingly, the next day about a dozen gentlemen assembled, who^ 
for those qualifications which give life and spirit to a convivial party, 



VS2 FIRST VOYAGE. 

maintained the reputation of his countrymen, and seemed to afford 
great pleasure to the host. Mr. Nairac had promised to give me, 
what I had never seen in a tropical climate, a piece of roast beef, 
equal in delicacy and flavor to any I had ever eaten in Europe or 
America ; and this promise was fully redeemed, for it was of a 
quality which could not be surpassed, and which, till now, I had' 
always supposed to be limited to the temperate regions. The natural 
hilarity and vivacity of the party needed no artificial stimulus. Con- 
sequently, although there was a great abundance and variety of the 
best wines, they were taken with such moderation as to evince that 
no one of the party possessed the ridiculous pride of being considered 
able to swallow more than his neighbor. Early on the following 
morning we mounted our steeds, and, bidding farewell to our excel- 
lent host, began our ascent toward the summit of the Island. When 
we had reached its highest elevation, the cold was so great that I 
found it advisable to dismount and walk, to warm my feet ; and in 
the little hollows where the rain had lodged, it had frozen to the 
thickness of the eighth of an inch. We went over the route which is 
called " passing by the plain," and which also passes near to the 
crater of the volcano. Arriving at St. Benoit in the evening, we 
found a comfortable lodging at a private house ; and, pursuing our 
course early in the morning, we travelled quickly over a good road, 
and late in the afternoon arrived in safety at my friend's house in St. 
Dennis. 

In- this excursion I ascertained that none of the products of the 
island could be purchased at the diminished rate which I had expected 
from the stagnant state of commerce. The reason was obvious ; the 
general ability of every one to keep his produce when it is below its 
ordinary value ; an ability produced by frugal habits, by limited wants, 
and an entire absence of those luxuries of furniture and equipage, 
which custom has rendered indispensable to the European and Amer- 
ican, and for which they, in some instances, devote themselves to a 
life of toil and anxiety. 

A speedy return to the Isle of France being now desirable, I 
embarked, on the 1st of July, in a Chassemaree ; but, owing to 
unfavorable winds and bad management, we had the very long pass- 
age of ten days. It appeared, that, during my absence, no other 



DEATH OF THE GOVERNOR. 133 

prize had been sent in than the Alnomack of Baltimore, bound to 
Batavia with an assorted cargo. I had therefore lost no opportunity 
of prosecuting my plan by my absence. 

A few days only had elapsed, however, after my return, when the 
Company's extra ship Armenia arrived, taken on her passage from 
London to Calcutta with a valuable cargo, by the Clarisse. This 
ship was of six hundred tons burden, Bengal built, and was on her first 
voyage. As I was confident that there was no other person there at 
the time, who was prepared with the requisite documents and officers 
to take a ship to India, and was persuaded that no one would be wil- 
ling to pay high with a view of a re-sale, I felt so certain of being the 
purchaser that I took some preliminary steps to avoid any additional 
loss of time in taking possession. I expected to procure her at from 
eighteen to twenty thousand dollars ; but at the sale, contrary to the 
expectations of every one, and to the astonishment of those interested, 
she was run up to the enormous sum of twenty-seven thousand five 
hundred dollars. I was so little disposed to submit to the disappoint- 
ment, that I very incautiously bid twenty-seven thousand four hundred 
and fifty dollars, and was rejoiced when relieved by the superior bid, 
which took her from me. This was a great disappointment to me ; 
but, upon sober reflection, my escape from paying too much to have 
a chance of profit reconciled me to it. 

But a few days had elapsed, however, after the sale, when I was 
surprised by the inquiry of a broker, if I would take the ship at what 
I had bidden. On declining, he thought she might be obtained for 
something less. This awakened suspicions, which were the next day 
confirmed by the information that the purchaser of the ship had a 
long credit on whatever he bought at the sale ; and, supposing I 
wanted the ship, and would be willing to pay him as high as I had 
offered at the sale, he contemplated the use of my money (which was 
then at very high interest) for the mere sacrifice of his additional bid. 
In a few weeks after, the ship was offered to me for several thousand 
dollars less than she brought at the sale ; but, having waited so long, 
I determined to have a cheap ship or none. 

On the 28th of this month a general gloom was thrown over the 

town by the sudden death of their excellent Governor, General 

Malartie, after an illness of forty-eight hours. In a room in the gov- 

12 



134 FIRST VOYAGE. 

ernment-house, hung with black, and with rows of lighted tapers on 
each side of the coffin, the body lay in state till the 30th, and then 
was interred with military honors, and every imaginable demonstra- 
tion of respect. He had expressed a wish that his funeral expenses 
might not exceed thirty dollars ; but so high a respect was entertained 
for his character and services, that there seemed to be a determination 
that no expense should be spared to evince it. The present place of 
interment, therefore, was only to serve till a magnificent tomb could 
be built on the Champ de Mars to receive his remains. This being 
prepared by the latter part of the ensuing month, the body was taken 
from the church and carried thither in procession with minute guns 
firing ; and, having arrived at the sepulchre, an eulogy was pronounced 
to a numerous and attentive audience. A few days previous, the 
English blockading squadron had arrived, under command of Com- 
modore Hotham. These, on the day of the funeral obsequies, as a 
mark of respect for the deceased general, came down from wind- 
ward, and lay by, off the entrance of the harbor, with their colors 
hoisted half mas.t, and firing minute guns. Such a tribute of respect 
from an enemy is so magnanimous, that it cannot fail to be consid- 
ered honorable to both parties ; and while such acts meet the 
applause of the civilized world, they will also have their influence in 
diminishing the asperities and miseries of war. 

A few days after giving this evidence of respect and courtesy, the 
squadron gave us an exhibition of character of a different kind. A 
Hamburgh ship had, during the night, got between the squadron and 
the land, and at daylight was discovered by them several miles to 
leeward, and near Round Island. All sail was made by the squadron 
in chase ; and although they were fast approaching him, the Ham- 
burgher persevered in pushing for the port, with a boldness and deter- 
mination which greatly excited the sympathy of the multitudes, who 
were watching, with intense interest, the result. Before he had got 
quite up with the fort at the entrance of the port, the Lancaster, of 
sixty-four guns, passed so near to him (outside) that the balls from 
her broadside passed over and came ashore. Then the Adamant, of 
fifty guns, as near, fired her broadside with as little effect ; and there 
being no time for repeating them, the ship got in safe, while the air 
resounded with the shouts and gratulations of the assembled multi- 



BLOCKADING SQUADRON. 135 

tude. It is difficult to conceive how two such formidable broadsides 
could be directed, from so short a distance, against so large an object 
without destroying it ; and that they produced no injury, seemed 
almost miraculous. The ship was immediately warped up, and 
moored near to the guard ship. But the English Commodore was 
determined not to be outdone in enterprise. And although his pros- 
pect of success seemed as hopeless as the escape of the Hamburgher 
had done in the morning, he sent in his boats about ten o'clock the 
same evening, of which we had notice by the roar of cannon from 
the guard ship and from the forts, and, in defiance of these, actually 
carried the ship off, while the crew supposed themselves to be in such 
perfect safety, that the broker was on board taking a list of the arti- 
cles composing the cargo. It wa% said there were a few lives lost on 
this occasion. 

The squadron had already intercepted a ship from France when 
near the island, and had also taken several of the Bourbon coasting 
vessels. There remained, therefore, but a feeble chance for any 
prize to succeed in entering the port. Under these circumstances, 
now late in the month of September, I decided to abandon the plan of 
returning to India. Money was in unusual demand, and coffee to be 
procured with it at an uncommonly low rate. Hence it was obvious, 
that to invest the principal part of my capital in this article before 
the opening of the intercourse with America, or any other event 
should enhance the value of it, and to be prepared to freight it, by 
the first good opportunity, for Europe or the United States, was the 
most judicious course to pursue. 

Acting on this determination, I had soon secured the quantity I 
desired, and on very advantageous terms. In the mean time, and 
early in the month of October, the English squadron went off without 
being relieved by another, to the great joy of the merchants in par- 
ticular, and of the inhabitants generally, of the Isle of France. In 
their short cruise, and principally from the capture of coasting 
vessels, they had caused the ruin of some families and the distress of 
many. 

The blockade had been raised but a day or two, when there arrived 
a national corvette, and also a Danish and a Hamburgh ship, all from 
Europe. The general tenor of the news they brought was, that the 



136 FIRST VOYAGE. 

war was prosecuted in Europe, by all parties, with its accustomed 
vigor ; and that there was an immediate expectation of an adjust- 
ment of difficulties between the French and American governments. 
This last was a " consummation devoutly to be wished " by the 
Americans here, not less on public than on private considerations. 
Nor was it less desired by the cultivators and owners of plantations, 
whose produce would be enhanced in value by an open intercourse 
with the United States, more than by all the neutrals of Europe com- 
bined. Hence, the planters never failed to regret the arrival of an 
American prize, from the fear, that each additional one would have a 
tendency to prolong hostilities. 

In the course of the month of November, arrived the Confiance 
privateer, conducting her prize, the (East India Company's ship Kent. 
The action, which resulted in the capture of this ship, will rank 
amongst the most chivalrous and gallant, which the naval annals 
of any country record, and which even Surcouffe would hardly have 
risked, had he been aware that his antagonist had more than the 
usual complement of men for a Company's ship. But, in addition to 
the ordinary number, of probably one hundred and fifty, were the 
troops and passengers, who were going out in the Queen, which was 
burnt at St. Salvador, and who amounted to about three hundred ; 
making together four hundred and fifty men. Their ship had a 
complete battery betwixt decks, of twenty-two or twenty-four twelve- 
pounders, and had the advantage of an elevation above the water 
double that of the privateer ; so that it might be supposed that one 
man would successfully resist at least four assailants. The Confiance 
mounted twenty nine-pounders, and had, on sailing from the Isle of 
France, one hundred and eighty men. She had greatly the advan- 
tage of her opponent in sailing. The action being begun by the 
Kent, but few broadsides were exchanged, before the Confiance, 
luffing up under the quarter, and pouring in a broadside, boarded in 
the smoke with nearly the whole crew. The resistance on deck was 
not of long duration ; and when it ceased, a scene of plunder ensued, 
which is considered to be justified by the practices of war, when a 
place or ship is taken by storm, and which is promised to the men 
previous to the assault. Nor is it in the power of the commander, 
however he may be disposed, to arrest the progress of those irregu- 



A DtTEL. 137 

larities, which are inseparable from such a state of confusion. Were 
it possible, there was no person in the world, who would have been 
more ready to do it than Captain SurcoufFe, whom I knew to be not 
less deservedly distinguished for humanity and generosity, than for 
intrepidity and the most daring courage. The value of this prize to 
the captors was not very great, as she was laden principally with 
military stores. One of the privateer's-men produced considerable 
mirth on the Exchange, by appearing there dressed in a suit of the 
English general's uniform, which he had taken the liberty to appro- 
priate to his own particular use. But a few weeks had elapsed after 
the arrival of this prize, when the American brig Traveller, of Boston, 
with upwards of one hundred thousand dollars in specie on board, 
was sent in by the mdelle privateer. To prevent any influence which 
the captain, supercargo, or officers might have in arresting condemna- 
tion, neither of them had been permitted to proceed in the brig. 
This we learned from the sailor who came in her. 

Great efforts were made, not less by the Consul of the United 
States, than by several respectable individuals of the place, for the 
release of this property, but ineffectually. The fact of there being 
such an amount of specie on board, and of its being much wanted, 
was of sufficient weight to bear down all opposition to its condemna- 
tion. These efforts, however, combined with the information recently 
received, that several of their privateers had been foiled, and much 
cut up, by American letters of marque, which they had met in the 
Bay of Bengal, tended greatly to promote a hostile feeling towards 
the Americans ; in those particularly, who were interested in privateers. 

During the existence of these feelings a Boston newspaper was 
produced on 'Change, in which was inserted a list of those merchants 
Df the Isle of France who were engaged in privateering ; and some 
of whom were styled rogues, noted villains, &c. Among the latter 
was a very irascible, arrogant, and physically powerful man, who 
was an armateur and also a Captain of Dragoons. No sooner was 
he informed of the ungracious notice taken of him in this paper, than, 
incapable of suppressing his wrath, he gave vent to it in the most 
gross and abusive language, directed to a young Bostonian, who hap- 
pened to be the only American on 'Change. The consequence was 
a challenge. They met the next morning, and fought at only five 
12* 



138 ' FIRST VOYAGE. 

paces distant ; when the Captain of Dragoons received his adver 
sary's ball, diagonally, in the arm, which laid him up for six weeks. 
The Bostonian escaped uninjured. We experienced, afterward^ in 
our intercourse with the inhabitants, nothing but the civility and 
politeness which are proverbially French. 

Some time in the month of December, the prize ship Kent was 
sold to a Dane for thirty thousand nine hundred dollars. Soon after 
which she was put up for freight for Europe ; being called the Cron- 
berg, and having transferred to her the papers of a ship of that name, 
of about three hundred tons burden. But, at this time, few persons 
were desirous of freighting to Europe ; and all considered the risk 
too great by this vessel, both on account of the deficiency of the 
requisite papers, and of the proposal of the agent to take French 
property. More than a month had elapsed after this ship was pre-* 
pared to receive a cargo, and none had been offered ; while the daily 
expenses were rapidly consuming the means indispensable for putting 
her to sea. Under these circumstances, overtures were made to Mr. 
Shaler and myself to freight the ship exclusively, and with a particu* 
lar agreement that no French property, or passenger, should be 
taken on board. The terms were low in proportion to the risk ; the 
accommodations for ourselves were spacious and tempting ; the 
chance of the intercourse soon opening with America uncertain ; and 
we had both become equally tired of a state of inactivity, and of our 
residence at the Isle of France. We therefore engaged to freight in 
this ship, and stipulated to sail in sixty days from the date of the 
contract. 

During the remainder of this and the ensuing month there were 
several arrivals from Europe, which caused a rise in the price 
of the produce of the island of fifteen to twenty per cent. A 
coasting brig fi'om Bourbon, with fourteen hundred bags of coffee, 
was chased on shore by an English frigate, near to Little E-iver ; and 
the vessel and most of the cargo were lost. New animation and 
vigor were given to the society of the place by the young men 
attached to the two national ships, Naturaliste and Geographe, under 
the command of Monsieur Baudm, who had touched here on the 
route to New Holland and the Pacific ocean, on a voyage of discovery 
and scientific research. The ships, on their arrival, looked rather as 



ENGLISH FHIGATE, 139 

if they were returning from circumnavigating the globe, than com- 
mencing an enterprise of several years' duration ; and, as far as I 
could judge from a cursory observation, there was nothing connected 
with the expedition, that promised to add to the national glory, or to 
repay the expense of the equipmenc. 



CHAPTKK XL 



Satisfaction at tlie prospect of Departure — Observations on the Isle of France — In* 
fluence of the Jacobins -«- A Humcane -^ Sail for Europe — Speak an American 
Schooner — Coast of Norway — War between the English and Danes — Arrive at 
Christiansand •— Leave the Ship, and proceed to Copenhagen — Arrival there — A 
profitable Voyage-— Sketch of Copenhagen^' Obelisk — Fredericksburg Palace — ■ 
Eosenbelrg Palace — Arrival of the Ship from Norway. 



W^Wi period of my departure now drew near; and 
I looked forward to it with great impatience. Hav- 
ing reached the middle of March, ten months were 
completed since my arrival ; a term rendered addi- 
tionally tedious from the want of occupation. 
During this time no opportunity had presented of 
putting into execution the plan I had contemplated 
on leaving Calcutta ; and, controlled by circum- 
stances, I was now again about venturing every thing, 
without the possibility of covering any part of the risk 
by insurance. Should we arrive safe in Europe, my 
fortune would be much greater than I could reasonably 
have hoped to possess at the outset. If we should fail to 
do so, or should be intercepted by an English cruiser and 
condemned, still the property, which had been sent home 
from China, would amount to more than double of the orig- 
inal outfit from France. Thus, though the amount at hazard was 
greater, its loss would be attended with none of the distressing con- 
sequences, which would have resulted from the loss of the property 
in an earlier stage of the enterprise. These considerations greatly 
diminished the anxiety at having a large portion of my fortune at 
hazard, and reconciled me to taking the risk. Moreover, our ship 
was so large, and made so warlike an appearance, that there was but 
little chance that any cruiser less than a frigate would approach 
within reach of our guns. 




ISLE OF FRANCE. 141 

It was agreed that we should avoid, if possible, speaking any ves- 
sel, and that we should pass a long way to the south of the Cape of 
Good Hope. We determined also to avoid seeing St. Helena or 
Ascension, or indeed any land from the time of losing sight of the 
Isle of Bourbon, till we should see the land about Fair Isle passage ; 
and before coming up with this, to make a long sweep to the west- 
ward, and approach this passage on an easterly course. With such 
precautions we considered the prospect to be tolerably fair, especially 
if the ship sailed as well as reported, of arriving in safety at our 
destined port. 

Before noticing this passage, it is proper to say something of the 
Isle of France and its government and people. The very rugged, 
mountainous, and irregular appearance presented to the voyager on a 
first view of the Isle of France, would naturally cause him to believe 
that it could not be well adapted to agriculture. By a nearer view, 
however, he will be undeceived. The luxuriant valleys, which meet 
his view as he passes along to leeward between Round Island and 
the port, and the aromatic breezes, doubly agreeable to one who has 
been long at sea, will convince him that there is no deficiency of 
land which is prized by the agriculturist. And this opinion will be 
confirmed by visiting the productive cotton, coffee, and indigo planta- 
tions, and noticing, moreover, the prosperous cultivation of the clove, 
of wheat, and of Indian corn. 

The secure harbor of Port Northwest gives to the Island great 
commercial advantages over the more fertile, but, in this respect, less 
favored Isle of Bourbon ; for the produce of the latter is principally 
transported to the Isle of France for embarkation for Europe, this 
being thought a smaller inconvenience than to load the ships in its 
open and dangerous roadsteads. The town formerly called Port 
Louis, and more recently Port Northwest, is situated on the eastern 
margin of the harbor ; whence it extends back nearly a mile 
to the Champ de Mars, a spacious field, destined for the exercise 
and the review of troops. The view from the town is limited 
on the north and south by hills, on which are made the signals 
to denote the approach of vessels ; on the east, by those very 
irregular mountains called Pieter-Both, the Ponce, and Piton du 
milieu de Tile, which have an elevation from the sea of three to four 



142 FIRST VOYAGE. 

hundred toises ; and on the west by the ocean, and an uninterrupted 
horizon. The houses are, with very few exceptions, built of wood, 
in a neat, pretty style, and generally of one story. The public 
buildings are commodious and useful ; but are not of a description to 
attract the observation of a stranger ; excepting, perhaps, the govern- 
ment-house, which is spacious and airy, and is so situated as to com- 
mand a fine view of the harbor and shipping. The streets are 
regular, of good breadth, generally clean, and many of them are 
ornamented with trees. The bazaar, or market for meat and vege- 
tables, is on a large square, contiguous to the government-house. It 
affords but a scanty choice of eatables, and those not the best of their 
kinds ; and also indicates great disregard of that cleanliness, which is 
particularly desirable and proper in a market-place. The number of 
inhabitants amounts to about thirteen thousand ; two thirds of whom 
are slaves. 

There was at this time a person at the Isle of France, whose name 
I have forgotten, who believed himself to be possessed of a power to 
discover objects at sea, several hundred miles farther off than any 
other person could see. He pretended to see vessels so distant to 
windward, that they would only arrive, according to his calculation, 
in three or four days ; and as they often did arrive conformably, 
which, from the frequency of his predictions, was not surprising, he 
made many converts. If they failed to come, it did not prove that he 
had not seen them ; but that they had passed by on their way to India. 
The man evinced that he was equally deluded with others, by after- 
wards putting this faculty to a fair test, through the means of the 
Imperial government. They sent him out in a frigate, and the next 
day sent another, with an understanding that they were to come 
within fifty or sixty miles, and then approach till they discovered each 
other. In the mean time, the man of long sight was on the look out ; 
but was unable to discover the other frigate at a greater distance than 
the generality of the crew ; and consequently was obliged to take his 
station, in this respect, with other mortals. 

The Governor, who had lately deceased, and for whose memory 
the inhabitants appeared to entertain the most profound respect, 
seemed to have been peculiarly fitted by temper, disposition, and 
judgment, for the very troublesome and difficult times in which it was 



JACOBINS. 143 

his destiny to act. A more despotic commander, one accustomed to 
the promptitude of military obedience, and strenuous to exact it, 
would inevitably have perished in the early period of those turbulent 
times, when liberty was understood to be the uncontrolled indulgence 
of every passion ; and each day afforded some practical illustration 
of this belief. In these times of anarchy. General Malartie wisely 
yielded to the storm which he saw it would be destruction to resist ; 
and, by an apparent acquiescence in measures which he disap- 
proved, softened or ameliorated, as much as possible, those acts of 
the dominant party which he could not control, and which he saw 
would be injurious to the prosperity of the island. This domi- 
nant party was the Jacobins. Professing to be exclusively the 
true friends of liberty, they did not perceive the tyranny of perse- 
cutmg and denouncing as traitors all those citizens who dared to 
express opinions opposed to their own. 

In close alliance, and amalgamated with these, were the armateurs 
and privateers-men ; a numerous class, composed of dashing young 
adventurers, whose object was exclusively the acquirement of fortune, 
unrestrained by any law, moral or divine. Yet, these jeunes gens, 
as they were called, were guilty of no acts of cruelty that I saw or 
heard of; but, on the contrary, behaved, in many instances, towards 
those whom fortune had thrown into their power, with a generosity 
which was highly honorable to them. As an evidence of the influ- 
ence which these jeunes gens possessed over the mind of the good old 
superannuated governor, they, for the mere purpose of securmg as 
good prize a rich American vessel, which had been sent in by one of 
their privateers, induced him to commit the ridiculous act of formally 
declaring war against the United States. As this declaration did not 
appear in any of the periodicals of the time, I infer that it was not 
known beyond the limits of the island. 

This opinion is, moreover, strengthened by its ceasing to be acted 
upon as soon as the object for which it was made was secured in due 
form. For, while this act was in full force, an American ship arrived 
from France, came in with the flag of the United States displayed, 
and was admitted to entry without a question of the propriety ; the 
cargo was disposed of, and, when the vessel was ready, a clearance 
was given for Bengal, with as little delay and molestation as if the 



144 



FIRST VOYAGE. 



public authorities were unacquainted with the hostile act in question. 
Hence it was apparent that the government had no disposition to 
enforce the observance of an act which had been extorted from it ; 
and which could not fail to be prejudicial to the best interests of the 
island. At the same time it was not less apparent, that the party- 
possessed so much energy and strength as to control the government 
whenever it was for their interest so to do ; while their respect for it 
was limited to the observance of unimportant forms. It is, therefore, 
less surprising that they should have committed some acts of injus- 
tice and folly, than that they should have been restrained by any 
bounds which arrested their progress in the pursuit of fortune. 

The preparations for expediting our ship had advanced so slowly, 
that the 20th of March had arrived before every thing was in readi- 
ness. A gale of wind, amounting almost to a hurricane, which 
caused the ship to bring home her anchors and almost drove her 
ashore, was one cause of embarrassment ; the difficulty of collecting 
the great number of men required for such a ship was another ; 
while each additional day's delay added to the chance of the arrival 
of the blockading squadron, which would keep us shut up in port for 
the space of another month or two. This proportionally increased 
the anxiety of the captain of the Cronberg, whose expenses, if detained 
when so near the point of sailing, would be ruinous. On the 21st of 
March, therefore, as this dreaded interruption had not occurred, the 
winds and weather favoring our departure, and every thing being 
ready, we joined the ship, and were accompanied by many of our 
friends as far as the buoys. There, with demonstrations of sincere 
regard, and good wishes for a successful voyage, they left us and 
returned to the shore. On board all was bustle and alacrity in 
spreading that crowd of sail which was invited by the breeze, and 
which soon carried us out of sight of the island. To be once again 
on the bosom of old ocean, once more with a direct and definite 
object in view, after so long and tedious a detention at the Isle of 
France, excited the most lively feelings of satisfaction. To be sailing 
in so magnificent a ship, with no other care than to make myself 
com.fortable, was entirely a novel situation to me. Nor could I help 
thinking of the contrast between the boat in which I came to the 
Island, and the ship in which I was now leaving it. The one of 



THE CRONBEEG. 145 

twenty-five tons, the other of more than nine hundred tons ; the one 
manned with four Lascars, the other with one hundred Europeans ; the 
accommodations in one bearing some resemblance to a dog-kennel, 
those of the other, light, airy, and so spacious, that the room exclu- 
sively appropriated to my use, was of greater dimensions than the Vv^hole 
capacity of the first ; the one very little exceeding in size the long-boat 
of the other; but I need not enlarge on a difference which must 
be obvious to all, after stating the relative tonnage. In stateliness, 
and beauty of appearance, in symmetry and just proportions of hull 
and rigging, in strength and equipment, and in the elegance and 
commodiousness of the accommodations, no ship could surpass the 
Cronberg. Nothing seemed wanting to render the passage before us 
delightful, excepting a freedom from the apprehension of meeting 
some one of those British cruisei^, who are so much in the habit of 
appropriating to their own use the property of other people. 

But we soon discovered that we were mistaken ; and that our 
anxiety was to be augmented by a violation of the agreement, on the 
part of the captain, relative to taking French passengers. We had 
scarcely got clear of the land, when a person of this description came 
up from his concealment. Indignant at such treatment, we imme- 
diately demanded an explanation, and were told he was not French, 
but a Swiss gentleman. Such a miserable subterfuge did not mend 
the matter ; and we expressed our opinions on the subject in terms 
that the deception naturally called forth, and which were not con- 
ducive to that harmony between the captain and passengers, so 
desirable to both parties. 

On the twenty-third day after leaving the Isle of France we passed 
the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope, nearly four degrees to the 
south of it. The only vessels seen during this time were two ships in 
company, which kept steadily on their course. Pursuing our way 
to the northwest we passed the latitude of St. Helena on the 28th of 
April, at the distance of about a hundred and fifty miles west of it. 
Having by this time had ample opportunity of trying our ship in every 
variety of weather, we found her all that could be desired, — a good 
sea boat, easy to her rigging, sailing and steering well, staunch and 
strong and exceedingly comfortable. 

On the 1st of June, being in latitude 44° north, and longitude 32® 
13 



146 FIRST VOYAGE. 

west, we spoke an American schooner bound to Lisbon, who reported 
a continuation of the war in Europe, but knew nothing relative to the 
political state of Denmark. With strong westerly gales we made 
rapid advances towards the Orkney Islands, and saw them on the 9th. 
The next day we passed by Fair Island passage, near to which we saw 
a ship bound to the westward ; and the day following, when abreast 
the Naze of Norway, we spoke a Danish fishing-boat, and received 
the astounding information of war between England and Denmark. 
We were told, that the fleet of the former, after having bombarded 
the Danish capital, were yet in its neighborhood, and that we could 
not proceed further towards Elsinor without being intercepted by a 
British cruiser. Directing our course, therefore, more in shore, with 
a view of entering a port in Norway, on approaching it, we fired 
several guns for a pilot, and succeeded in obtaining one, who con- 
ducted us into Fleckery, where we anchored towards evening near 
the fort. An officer immediately boarded us, and confirmed the 
information we had received from the fisherman. Our passage, of 
only eighty-four days, had been, in every respect, the pleasantest I 
had ever made. 

Being securely anchored under the guns of a Danish fortress, we 
could not help reflecting upon the risks we had encountered ; so much 
greater than we had anticipated, or would have taken, had we been 
aware of their extent. We contrasted our present situation with 
what it would have been if we had fallen into the hands of a cruiser. 
And our emotions of gratitude, of satisfaction and delight, as we 
thought of these things, were in proportion to the importance of the 
object attained, and the dangers escaped in the attainment. In hii^h 
spirits at the unexpected demand for our cargo, and its consequently 
increased value, we set out early in the morning after our arrival for 
Christiansand, where the Danish Commodore lay, with a frigate and 
several corvettes. Our first visit was to the Commodore, who con- 
gratulated us on an escape, which he termed almost miraculous, and 
advised that, without delay, the ship should be brought to Christian- 
sand, as he considered her position at Fleckery an unsafe one. 
Accordingly, as soon as practicable, this advice was followed. 

Perceiving it to be impossible for the ship to go to Copenhagen at 
present, and uncertain how long this state of things would continue, 



COPEKIIAGEN. 147 

Mr. Shaler and myself determined to proceed thither without delay. 
For this purpose we engaged a passage in a coasting vessel, then on 
the point of sailing for Nybourg. We dined at the public house in 
Christiansand, at the table dViote, with a number of young men of 
the country, whose pursuits appeared to be mercantile. I supposed 
myself to be generally acquainted with the European customs on 
such occasions ; but a ceremony was observed here, which I after- 
wards found to prevail in Denmark ; though I believe it is peculiar 
to that country. When dinner is ended, all rise together, and, 
bowing to each other, and shaking hands, say, " Much good may it 
do you," " God bless 5^ou," &c. ; and this seems to be a piece of 
etiquette of such universal observance, that a neglect of it would be 
considered as unmannerly as the omission to drink healths would be 
in England. 

The wind being unfavorable on the 13th, we remained at Christian- 
sand. In the course of the night it came round favorable ; and at 
dawn we were called to embark ; Mr. Shaler, myself, and my man 
George, all of whom, in a general passport, were styled American 
merchants. The third morning after sailing, we arrived at Nybourg, 
having had a very comfortable and pleasant passage, to which the 
captain greatly contributed, no less by an attention to our wants, than 
by manifesting one of the most amiable, cheerful, and happy charac- 
ters we had ever met. On the same day we crossed the Belt, in the 
ferry-boat, to Corseur, and slept there, having ordered post horses and 
a wagon to be ready in the morning. Accordingly, at seven o'clock 
on the ISth, we set out from Corseur in a very clumsy wagon without 
springs. But the roads were very good ; and the fields of luxuriant 
vegetation and beautiful verdure, which met the eye on every 
side, were the more striking, attractive, and pleasing to us, from 
having been so long accustomed to the parched earth, and burnt 
vegetation of a tropical climate. We noticed, on either side of the 
road, many of those mounds which are said to cover the ashes of 
ancient chiefs or heroes. Arriving at ten o'clock in the evening, at 
Copenhagen, we drove to Muller's hotel, a magnificent house, where 
we were provided with comfortable apartments and good entertainment. 

Three years had now elapsed since I had had any accounts from 
home. Eager, therefore^ to obtain some information relative to my 



148 FIRST VOYAGE. 

connexions, I went out, early in the morning, in pursuit of some of 
my countrymen, and accidentally met with an old acquaintance, 
recently from Salem, who assured me of the welfare of my friends, 
only a few weeks before. Thus, every thing seemed to concur to fill 
up the measure of my good fortune, and to call forth corresponding 
emotions of gratitude to the great Giver of all good. 

Although peace, between England and Denmark, had been some 
days restored, and orders, in consequence, had been despatched to 
Norway for the ship to proceed, yet she did not arrive at Copenhagen 
before the 16th of July. Hence, we passed a month with no other 
occupation than sharing in the amusements of the city and its 
environs. 

There are- few cities in Europe, which, on a first view, strike a 
stranger more agreeably than Copenhagen. The size and beauty of 
the squares, the breadth and cleanliness of the streets, and the general 
appearance of the houses, both public and private, are proofs of the 
wealth and enterprise of the city, and of the excellence of its police. 
A closer examination will convince him that all irregularities or 
nuisances, which are offensive to the public, are immediately corrected ; 
that there are no beggars to be met with ; and that there is the most 
perfect security for person and property. The ramparts, which 
nearly encircle the city, are bordered with a double row of lime trees, 
oflering an extensive and delightful walk to all classes, and an equally 
delightful ride, but for a few privileged persons only. The gardens 
of the Rosenberg palace, which is within the city, are thrown open 
in summer, and afford a cool and pleasant lounge for the gay and 
idle of both sexes. But the resort most frequented is the garden of 
the royal summer residence, Fredericksburg palace, about two miles 
west of the city. These grounds are delightful, and, on Sundays and 
holidays, are crowded with a gay assemblage of all classes, who, in 
their best attire, meet to see and to be seen. 

On the way to these gardens, a little beyond the western gate of 
the city, and in the middle of the road, is erected a very handsome 
obelisk, of brown stone, on a square base of marble ; and on each 
corner of this base is a handsome marble figure. The four are 
emblematic of Peace, Plenty, Content, and Industry. The height of 
the obelisk is forty-eight or fifty feet ; and its object is to commemorate 



ROSENBERG PALACE. 149 

a circumstance highly interesting to the philanthropist, and to the 
advocate of civil liberty and the rights of man, — the emancipation 
of the Danish peasantry, which took place January 1st, 1800. On 
one square of the base is written (in Danish), " To Christian VII. 
King of the Danes and Norwegians, from united and grateful citizens." 
On the opposite, " The foundation stone was laid by Frederick, son 
of the king, the friend of the people, 1792." On the sides of the 
obelisk, " The king is sensible, that civil liberty, determined by just 
laws, produces a love of country, and courage to defend it, the desire 
of instruction, the taste for labor, and the hope of happiness : he has 
ordered that servitude shall cease, that order and promptitude preside 
in the execution of rural laws ; in order that the cultivator, free, 
courageous, enlightened, industrious, and good, may become an 
estimable and happy citizen." 

The great palace, which was burnt in 1795, and which was one of 
the most magnificent in Europe, is yet in ruins ; and it is supposed 
that the expense of removing the firm and massy walls would scarcely 
be less than that of repairing it. In the palace of Rosenberg, an 
old-fashioned pile, which has been built more than two centuries, are 
kept the crown and jewels, a very handsome and complete dining 
equipage of the purest gold, silver and mosaic tables, rich coronation 
and wedding dresses, the sword taken from Charles the Twelfth when 
he fell near Frederickshall, many fine paintings, &c. This palace 
is uninhabited. The royal winter residence is in the eastern part of 
the city, in the beautifnl square of Ameliensberg, in the centre of 
which is a fine equestrian statue of Frederick V., erected at the 
expense of the Asiatic Company. 

The public libraries are large and valuable, and, with proper intro- 
duction, are alike accessible to the stranger and citizen. The royal 
museum is extensive, and contains a great variety of the most curious 
productions, natural and artificial, which usually constitute such col- 
lections. There are two theatres, which are said to be well supported ; 
and, judging from their crowded state when I have been present, I 
think this may be the case ; but both houses are on a small scale. 

The number of churches appears to be in proper proportion to the 
extent of the city and number of inhabitants ; and some of them are 
large and handsome ; but, as far as I had opportunity of observing, 
13* 



150 FIRST VOYAGE. 

they appeared to be but thinly attended ; and, for the most part, by 
the poorer class. All denominations of religion are tolerated by this 
government. Among the population of this city are many Israelites. 
Their occupation is principally that of brokers, dealers, and money- 
changers, and some of them are very rich ; but here, as elsewhere, 
they hold a subordinate rank in society. Still their situation in this 
city is eligible, compared with that of their brethren in many other 
parts of Eupope ; and there are instances of the King's having con- 
ferred on some of them distinguished marks of honor. 

The character of the Danes has long been established for bravery, 
loyalty, learning, and virtue ; and experience has taught me, that it 
is not less remarkable for humanity, generosity, and those qualities 
of mind and disposition which render the social intercourse every 
thing which is desirable. Like most of the northern people of 
Europe, they have a strong predilection for the customs and habits 
of their ancestors ; especially the peasantry, with whom the introduc- 
tion of the improved tools of husbandry and better mode of cultivation 
has been attended, after many efforts by the more enlightened citizens, 
with only partial success. 

Where no advantage is to be derived from innovation, it is not 
attempted ; and the night watch of the city now repeat the same 
doleful ditty that has probably been in use for some centuries. In 
addition to the hour, which they name, they have a long moral 
sentence, varying for each hour, and which, being sung in the harmo- 
nious manner so peculiar to watchmen, is particularly edifying. / 

These remarks, however, do not apply to the fairer part of creation, 
who watch the progress of improvement, in dress and etiquette, with 
such diligence, that the fashion of a new bonnet, or any deviation 
in the mode of salutation, or of visiting, in Paris, is at once known 
and adopted by them. Hence, the change in the fashion of their 
habiliments keeps pace with the ever-changing modes which are 
imported ; and hence, the belles of Copenhagen are as justly remarked 
for good tasie in dress, as for fine persons and graceful manners. 
The love of exercise, or the desire of seeing and being seen, or 
perhaps both, induces them to frequent the public walks, in great 
numbers, every fine day ; where they are admired and courted by 
the military and the idle young men, who usually abound in most of 



VOYAGE SUCCESSFUL. 151 

the large cities of Europe. They possess the facility of acquiring 
languages, which seems to be peculiar to the northern people ; and it 
is not uncommon to meet with young ladies who speak three or four 
different languages. Indeed, the subject both of male and female 
education receives here that attention which its great importance 
demands. 

The safe arrival of the ship from Norway seemed to close the risk 
on this adventure ; and the occupation it immediately gave, in 
assisting to receive and sell the cargo, was a very pleasant one ; 
especially as coffee was of ready sale, and bore such a price as to 
produce a very handsome profit. At the same time that I was 
realizing the amount of this property, I had accounts from America 
of the safe arrival there of that part of the proceeds of my north- 
west voyage, which had been left to be shipped, and which, combined 
with this, rendered me, as to pecuniary affairs, very independent. 



CHAPTEH XIL 



Eemarks — Associated with Mr. Slialer — Leave Copenhagen — Arrive at Hamburgh 
— Piirchase a Vessel — Decision as to the Command — Count de Eouissillon — Peace 
of Amiens — Discouraging Prospects — Vessel near being lost in the River — Pro- 
ceed to Sea-— Arrive at Grand Cauaria — Appearance of the Town — Departure — 
AiTival at Eio Janeiro — An Assassination — Convent of Benedictines — Bay of 
Eio — Departure — Cape Horn — Lose a Man — Arrive at Valparaiso. 



^^^p^^S^^li^lS voyage, which was begun with such very 
^ '"^ "^ ' contracted means, at Havre de Grace, in the 

autumn of 1797, and was completed by my arrival 
at Copenhagen, in the summer of 1801, had been 
crowned with a success far surpassing my most 
sanguine anticipations. The fortune I had gained 
was amply sufficient to enable me to live indepen- 
dently in the moderate and unostentatious stylo 
which I proposed to myself. But I had been too long 
accustomed to a life of activity and excitement, to be 
reconciled to one of indulgence and repose. Indeed, it 
is generally acknowledged that the stimulus for engaging in 
Y i^^ new adventures, and incurring new risks, is increased in pro- 
V^s:3fc. J portion to the success attendant on the preceding ones. This 
stimulus with me would have been great under any circum- 
stances ; but when, as at this time, I could have, as my associate in a 
voyage round the world, my tried friend and fellow-passenger from 
the Isle of France, William Shaler, a congenial spirit, the temptation 
was irresistible. On our late passage together we had discussed the 
project of a voyage to the west coast of America ; and indeed, we 
had so far agreed upon it, as to make it dependent alone on the cir- 
cumstance of meeting a suitable American vessel which could be 
obtained at a reasonable price. None such being procurable at 
Copenhagen, and aware of the extensive American commerce with 




HAMBURGH. 153 

Hamburgh, we determined to proceed to that city, in the expectation 
of procuring such an one as we desired. 

Accordingly, as soon as we had settled our business at Copenhagen, 
we took passage in the packet for Kiel early in the month of August; 
but, owing to unceasing adverse winds, our progress was very slow. 
Our fellow-passengers consisted of two Swedish barons, a 7nilitaire 
of the same nation, a Swiss savant, and three Danish merchants, each 
of whom was provided with an enormous pipe, the frequent use of 
which seemed to be no trifling solace during the tedious hours passed 
on board the packet. 

After having been four days on board, during which, from the 
absence of every comfort of accommodation and food, we suffered 
greater privations than are usually experienced on a passage across 
the Atlantic, we were all very glad to be landed on the Island of 
Femeren. Here we took post-horses for Hamburgh, and arrived there 
on the 14th of August. We had some doubts whether our appear- 
ance, having had no opportunity of making our toilettes for several 
days, was not so much against us as to prevent the landlords admit- 
ting us, or whether, as they said, their houses were so full that they 
could not ; for, after having unsuccessfully tried at three differ- 
ent hotels, we were finally obliged to put up with rooms in the 
fourth story of the Kramerampthuys. Further observation, however, 
convinced us that the city was uncommonly crowded ; as, in addition 
to the multitude of strangers, who were there for commercial pur- 
poses, there were computed to be thirty thousand French emigrants. 
Hence the difficulty we experienced in finding lodgings. After some 
days, we succeeded in procuring rooms at a private house in the great 
St. Michael's street. 

It was soon obvious that we should meet with no embarrassment in 
finding here a vessel suited to our purpose ; for the number of Amer- 
ican vessels in port afforded us a choice, almost equal to what is usual 
in any one of the great commercial ports in the United States. In 
selecting one, on board of which there was a prospect of passing 
two or three years, and in countries where repairs and articles of 
equipment were of doubtful attainment, it was important to unite the 
properties of strength, durability, material, swiftness of sailing, capac- 
ity for carrying, and comfortable accommodations. Such an one 



154 FIRST VOYAGE. 

was offered us in the brig Lelia Byrd, of Portsmouth, Virginia, of a 
hundred and seventy-five tons burden, v/hich we purchased at a fair price. 
While my friend and associate went to Bordeaux, to settle some 
affairs of his own, I remained at Hamburgh to attend to coppering 
and repairing the vessel, to enlarging and improving the accommoda- 
tions, and to purchasing the cargo, which we had agreed should be 
embarked. These objects were accomplished and the vessel laden by 
the end of September ; at which time Mr. Shaler returned from Bor- 
deaux. It now became necessary to set about shipping our men ; but 
before this could be done, it was requisite to determine which of us 
should go in the capacity of master. As both were equally compe- 
tent to the task, and neither ambitious of it, the subject had not even 
been mentioned. When it became absolutely necessary to settle the 
question, we agreed to decide it by lot. The decision was in favor of 
Mr. Shaler, who took command and enlisted the men, while I em- 
barked in the capacity of supercargo, but with an understanding that 
these designations were only for form's sake ; and that the duties of 
each station were to be reciprocally performed by each. Our interests 
in the vessel and in the cargo being equal, there existed no inequal- 
ity in our powers, or in the profits, of whatever description, that might 
be realized. 

During our sojourn at Hamburgh, we had become acquainted with 
the Count de Rouissillon, a young Polish nobleman, of superioi 
education and talents. He had fought for the liberty of his country, 
as aid-de-camp to the unfortunate Kosciusco ; and being one of the 
proscribed, was living in Hamburgh on slender means, and without 
occupation. In the society of a gentleman of such intelligence, 
accomplishments, and companionable traits, we knew that we should 
be repaid for the additional expense of taking him as a compagnon 
de voyage^ and we agreed to invite him to accompany us as such. 
He had never been at sea, and a voyage round the world to a man 
like him, reared in the interior of a continent, offered such attractions 
that he acceded to the proposal not only without hesitation, but with 
expressions of great satisfaction and delight. 

Various causes tended so to retard our labors, that it was in the 
month of October before every thing was ready for our departure. 
In the mean time we received information of the sudden and unex- 



A STORM. 155 

pected termination of the war between France and England by the 
treaty of Amiens, an event which had a most inauspicious bearing on 
the prospects of our voyage. The commerce of Spain with her 
colonies, which had been for so many years annihilated by the all- 
powerful marine of Great Britain, would be again renewed. By the 
regular introduction, in Spanish ships, of the manufactures of Europe, 
their hitherto exorbitant prices would be reduced, which would pro- 
portionally lessen the inducement which had before existed for obtain- 
ing them in an irregular manner. It was obvious, therefore, that a 
voyage to Chili and Peru could now be made only under the most 
discouraging auspices ; as the same cause which operated to enable 
the inhabitants to supply themselves with manufactures, would also 
operate greatly to increase the danger to foreign vessels, by the 
increased number and vigilance of the guardacostas, hitherto confined 
to their ports by the presence of a superior, hostile force. But a 
retreat in this advanced state of the business, by a re-sale of the vessel 
and cargo, could not be effected without great loss ; and although 
this might have been the most prudent part, we could not reconcile 
our minds to it ; and, therefore, determined to prosecute the voyage. 

Before we could act on this decision, all our embarrassments and 
fears for the future came very near being terminated by the loss of 
the vessel, while yet in the river. The day after her anchoring off 
Gluckstadt, whither she had been taken by the pilot, a tremendous 
storm occurred, which brought in the tide so as to inundate all the 
lower part of the city. The damage in the river, by the loss and 
injury of vessels and the destruction of property, was very great. 
Our vessel dragged her anchors some distance, and was in imminent 
danger of going on the piers of Gluckstadt, where a total loss would 
probably have ensued. One cable parted, and the pilot was urgent 
for cutting away the masts, but the mate would not consent, and we 
finally escaped with only the loss of the stern boat, which was taken 
from the davits by the violence of the sea. 

Having recovered our anchor, and purchased a new boat, we took 
the first favorable opportunity to proceed down the river, and after a 
temporary anchoring at Cuxhaven, put to sea on the 8th of November, 
1801, in company with a dozen sail of ships and brigs, which like 
ourselves were bound to the westward. The superiority of sailing 



156 FIRST VOYAGE. 

of the Lelia Byrd was soon manifest, as, at the expiration of four 
hours, but two of the number that sailed with us were discernible 
from the deck, having been left far astern. The wind throughout the 
night and the next day was light and variable, and our progress in 
consequence so slow, that we did not pass Dover till the 13th, off 
which we were boarded by a boat from that place, with the offer of 
pilotage, or of forwarding letters ; neither of which services had we 
any occasion for. Proceeding on our course, we passed in sight of 
the Isle of Ushant with a fine breeze at northwest, and, without any 
occurrence worthy of notice, came in sight of the Island of Grand 
Canaria, on the 28th, where although only twenty days out, we deter- 
mined to stop for an additional supply of fruit, vegetables, &c. We 
therefore anchored next morning in twelve fathoms, sandy bottom, 
about three miles from the town, which, from this position, presented 
a very pleasing and somewhat imposing appearance. 

~ After the customary visit from the public authorities, Messrs. Shaler, 
Rouissillon, and myself, accompanied by the captain of the port, as 
cicerone^ went on shore to see the town, and to ascertain if our wants 
could be supplied without losing too much time. We dined with the 
captain of the port, who engaged to procure for us the stores of 
which we had need. Pal ma de Canaria, which is the name of the 
town, is the most considerable place on the island, numbering about 
twelve thousand inhabitants, who are a hardy and industrious race, 
living principally by the cultivation of the soil. It is the residence 
of a bishop, whose revenue is said to exceed one hundred thousand 
dollars per annum. The town is pleasantly situated, on a plain at the 
foot of the mountains, and on the east side of the island. The cathe- 
dral is built of stone, and of dimensions and site, which make it the most 
conspicuous object on approaching the town from sea. The bishop's 
palace, the hospital, and the convents, of which there are three of 
nuns and two of friars, make an imposing appearance ; but the private 
houses in which wealth, if it exists, is usually displayed, do not gen- 
erally afford proofs of ease and independence in the circumstances 
of their proprietors. We found provisions of all kinds to be extremely 
scarce and dear. Three-fourths of a dollar was the price of a mod- 
erate sized fowl, and sheep and pigs in proportion. Under these 
circumstances, we took on board no greater supply than would be 



SANTA CRUZ. 157 

sufficient to last us to E.io Janeiro, where we had determined to stop, 
with some hope of being able there to dispose of our cargo. 

On the 2d of December, having made our acknowledgments to the 
captain of the port for his civilities, and taken leave of him, we went 
on board, weighed anchor, and made all sail to the southward. The 
tradewinds were unusually light, the sea proportionally smooth, and 
the weather serene and pleasant. Nevertheless our little vessel felt the 
impulse of the slightest breeze, and would make considerable progress 
at times when many vessels could not keep steerage way ; hence we 
had no apprehension of long delay in passing the calm latitudes. On 
the 20th, having crossed the equator in longitude 26® west, we soon 
took the southeast trade- wind, which for several days blew with such 
strength as obliged us to single reef our topsails. As is usual in 
advancing southward, the wind became more easterly, which, enabling 
us to set our studding sails, carried us onward at the rate of ten to 
eleven miles an hour, for several days in succession, and gave us 
promise of soon reaching our destined port. On the 1st of January, 
1802, we came in sight of Cape Frio, and next day, towards evening, 
came to anchor in seven fathoms, outside the fort of Santa Cruz, it 
being calm and the tide setting against us. 

Soon after anchoring we were visited by the captain of the port, 
accompanied by an officer from the guard-ship, who, after making 
themselves acquainted with the object of our visit, desired us to 
remain in our present position till the will of their superiors should be 
made known to us, in the morning. Accordingly, as soon as the sea 
breeze set in, the captain of the port again came on board with the 
requisite permission to enter the port. Then, weighing anchor, he 
conducted us to a very snug birth within the Ilha das Cobras, where 
we moored near an American and a Danish ship, the only foreigners 
in port, and where we appeared to be perfectly sheltered from the 
influence of any of the storms or hurricanes, which are peculiar to 
the tropical regions. 

The next morning we were visited, with much formality, by the 
municipal authorities, accompanied by the interpreter, to ascertain the 
condition of our vessel, and to know our wants, in order that, from 
their report to superior authority, it might be decided how long we 
should be permitted to remain in port. Aware of the jealousy of the 
14 



158 FIRST VOYAGE, 

government towards all foreigners, and their practice of rigidly 
enforcing the law for the exclusion of any other flag than their own, 
except in cases of emergency, we presumed the time granted to us 
"would be very limited, and were therefore very well satisfied when it 
was anounced to us that the Viceroy permitted us to remain eight 
days. This was ample time to fill up our water-casks, to procure a 
supply of stock, vegetables, and fruit, and to ascertain if it were pos- 
sible to dispose of our cargo to some one of the traders, who were 
here from the River Plate. 

Having at length obtained leave to go on shore, we readily availed 
ourselves of it, although with the incumbrance of a soldier constantly 
following us ; nor, during our stay, were we at any time on shore 
without being thus watched. Nevertheless, as there were no limits 
to our wandering about the city, we visited nearly every part of it. 
We passed one evening at the theatre. The company was numerous, 
orderly, well-dressed, and apparently respectable. Their patience 
w^as put to the test by his Excellency the Viceroy, before whose arri- 
val the curtain could not be raised, and who kept them waiting till 
past eight o'clock. When he entered his box, all rose, with their 
faces towards him ; at the same time the music struck up a favorite' 
air. After this, a comedy in five acts was performed, succeeded by 
a ballet, which gave general satisfaction, and which detained us till 
past midnight. 

On the third day after our arrival, being in one of the large streets 
of the city, engaged in conversation with the linguist, whom I had 
accidentally met there, I perceived a man carried by in the arms of 
two others. His clothes were very bloody, and he appeared to be 
dying. On inquiring what accident had happened to him, I was told, 
with much sang froid, that he had just been stabbed, and that the 
perpetrator of the deed had escaped. The linguist seemed to receive 
the information with as little emotion as if it were a circumstance of 
every day's occurrence. Yet it is apparent, that no people are more 
attached to life ; and if the crime of murder were held in as general 
abhorrence as in many other countries, it would be of equally rare 
occurrence. But, in this country, the assassin generally escapes with 
impunity ; and this encourages a repetition of the crime, on every 
trifling provocation. 



VISIT A GONVEIMT. 159 

In one of our morning walks, Mr. Rouissillon and myself went to the 
Convent of Benedictines, which is beautifully situated on an eminence 
facing the harbor. Seeing one of the monks at the door of the 
chapel, who spoke Italian, Mr. Rouissillon made known to him our 
desire of seeing the interior of the convent, when he very civilly 
expressed the pleasure he should take in showing it to us. We were 
first conducted through the chapel, which, as usual in these establish- 
ments, is the pride of the fraternity. The profusion of ornaments 
and gold about the altar, which strikes the eye on first entering, is 
very grand and imposing, and probably produces the reverential effect 
intended on the majority of those who worship there. Contiguous to 
the chapel is a small room, used exclusively as the depository of 
some relics of a saint, whose history, and even name, I have forgot- 
ten. Following our conductor, we passed up a flight of stairs to the 
cells and the dining-room. The former are about twelve feet 
square, with one window, and are furnished each with a bed, a chair, 
and a table of ordinary manufacture. The latter is about sixty feet 
by thirty, with small windows near the ceiling. On one side, about 
midway of the room, is a pulpit, from which one of the brothers 
reads a sermon or homily, while the others are engaged at their meal. 

On the same floor, and in a delightful room, the large windows of 
which open upon the harbor, is the library, containing from ten to 
twelve thousand volumes, mostly in the French, Italian, and Latin lan- 
guages. My friend evinced so familiar an acquaintance with many 
of these works, that the monk, who accompanied us, was much aston- 
ished. This we discovered by his remarking it to a brother then in 
the room, and taking occasion to contrast the ignorance and indiffer- 
ence to literature of their own countrymen with the intelligence and 
laudable curiosity of these foreign youths. The revenue of this fra- 
ternity is said to be very large, from sugar and coffee plantations. 
They number about forty good healthy-looking men, who may be 
supposed to be leading innocent lives, but, certainly to appearance, 
very useless ones. On taking leave of our good-natured conductor, 
he very civilly invited us to come again. The public, or royal garden, 
which is about two miles southeast from the city, and on the border 
of the bay, is susceptible of being made a beautiful walk and lounge, 
as it is shaded with many fine trees, and is open to the full influence 



160 FIRST VOYAGE. 

of the sea breeze ; but it is in a dilapidated state, is much neglected, 
and but little frequented. 

Nothing can be imagined more beautiful than the picture presented 
on entering the bay of Rio Janeiro. On the left is the remarkable 
high rock, in the form of a sugar-loaf, inclining north very consider- 
ably from a perpendicular, and bounding that side of the entrance. 
On the right is the formidable and beautiful fortress of Santa Cruz, 
near to whose walls ships must pass to keep in the deep water, and 
from which they are hailed by the sentry. In front, and apparently 
in mid passage, is a small rocky island, on which is a battery ; and 
beyond this is the bay of too great extent yet to discern the extremity. 
Passing between this small island and the point of Santa Cruz, the 
bay is entered, and the scenery becomes more picturesque. On one 
side, the city, with its churches, its convents, its palace and houses, 
and a battery, occupy the front ground. In the rear, and at a greater 
elevation, is seen the aqueduct, constructed with two tiers of arches. 
On the other side are irregular hills, beautifully clothed in verdure, on 
several of which are perched neat white chapels and convents, whose 
inhabitants seem to be withdrawn from the rest of the world. Beyond 
these, the horizon is limited by a range of singularly uneven moun- 
tains, which, from the resemblance, are called the organ pipes. In 
the bay, immediately in front of the city, are seen the ships of war, 
beyond which, and behind the Ilha das Cobras, which forms the inner 
harbor, is the forest of masts of the merchant ships. The inter- 
course kept up between the city and St. Domingo and Praya Grande, 
on the opposite side of the bay, by means of numerous small sail- 
boats, gives life and animation to the scene, a harmonious finish, 
which renders it perfectly beautiful. 

The city itself, independently of its natural advantages, and the beau- 
tiful scenery by which it is environed, has nothing to recommend it to 
the strangers's attention. Its palace is of ordinary construction, 
neither remarkable for size nor architectural proportions. The con- 
vents, like all buildings of that description, have the appearance of 
prisons. The cathedral, being only partly built, had neither shape 
nor comeliness. The houses, generally, appeared to be well adapted 
to the climate ; but I observed nothing in the exterior of any of 
them, which would indicate the wealth which is attributed to many of 



DEATH OF A SAILOK. 161 

the inhabitants. The aqueduct, by which the city is supplied with 
water, is decidedly the most useful, and probably the most costly 
public work to be seen here. It commences near the Corcovado, 
where the waters are collected in a covered reservoir, and are thence 
conveyed into the canal, in which, protected from the heat of the sun, 
they reach the city without losing their freshness. 

Finding that we could not dispose of our cargo here, and having 
provided the store requisite for the passage to the Chilian coast, there 
was no inducement to prolong our stay beyond the time limited at our 
entry. We therefore, on the 9th, cleared out at the custom-house, 
and moved the vessel from the harbor into the bay, that we might be 
ready to take advantage of the land breeze early the following morn- 
ing. Having apprised the Captain of the port of this intention, he 
came on board in good season, and conducted us out till past the 
castle, when he took leave with the customary salutation, and we 
pursued our course to the south. 

The occurrences during this passage, with one melancholy excep- 
tion, were as uninteresting as is common on such voyages. The 
change of latitude brings a change of weather, and this causes 
the most important, if not the only variety in the daily routine, — that 
of reducing and spreading sail more frequently, as we advance 
toward the stormy parallel. On the 1st day of February we saw 
land to the westward, being in latitude 54^^ 40^ south. But, having 
head winds several succeeding days, we made scarcely any progress 
till the 5th, when we took a breeze from northwest, which, after a 
few hours, came from northeast ; and next day, from east-northeast, 
from whence it continued a fine breeze throughout the day, and 
increasing in the night, so as to oblige us to take in top-gallant sails, 
and, before morning, to reef our topsails. 

On the morning of the 7th we perceived the water to be discolored, 
and soon after saw Cape Horn to the westward, distant nine or ten 
leagues. Soon after, the wind shifted to the south-southeast, and 
thence to south-southwest, blowing in squalls, with great violence, 
which obliged us to furl the foretopsail and close reef the main one. 
While engaged on the latter, we had the misfortune to lose John 
Green, a Norwegian, who fell from the yard, struck his head against 
the main chains, and fell into the sea. He was seen but a moment, 
14* 



162 SECOI^D VOYAGKk 

his head very bloody, and then disappeared. An immediate and 
general rush was made to clear away the boat, but a moment's 
reflection was sufficient to satisfy every one, that the boat could not 
fail to be swamped immediately in the high and very irregular sea, 
which had been created by the sudden shifting of the wind. Nor, 
had it been otherwise, would it have been of any avail, as the blow 
on the head must have been fatal. Thus perished, in an instant, an 
excellent young man, in the prime of life, and vigor of health and 
spirits, beloved by his shipmates, and highly prized by the master and 
officers. This distressing event cast a gloom on the spirits of all on 
board, which was not entirely effaced during the remainder of the 
passage, nor till new scenes and new avocations, in a degree, oblitera- 
ted the recollections of the past. 

We began now to experience a specimen of that tempestuous 
weather for which Cape Horn is so justly famed. Hard and contin- 
ued gales from the westward, during which we could only lie to ; 
some days so cold, although in mid-summer, that the sleet and snow 
lay on the weather side of the mast till past noon. At length, after 
having contended more than a week, with adverse winds and boisterous 
weather, we had the satisfaction of a favorable change, which con- 
tinuing, without other incident worthy of note, carried us to the Bay 
of Valparaiso, where we arrived on the 24th day of February, 1802, 
forty-five days from Rio Janeiro, and, including stoppages, one 
hundred and eight days since leaving the Elbe, 



CHAPTER XIII. 



American Vessels at Valparaiso — Permission to obtain Supplies — Threat of the 
Captain-Geueral — Controversy between the Governor and Captain Rowan — Arrest 
and Imprisonment of Americans — Preparation for Hostilities — Anger of the Gov- 
ernor — Determined on Vengeance — -His Treachery ■— Capture of the Ship Hazard 

— Imprisonment of Rowan — Correspondence with the Captain-'General— Defer 
our Departm-e — Seizure of our Vessel — Interrogatories — Our Vessel restored to 
tis — Order of the Captain-General to leave the Port — Proposition from the Col- 
lector — Refused — Return of the actual Governor —- Interview and civil Reception 

— Departm'e. 



[1^ entering the Bay of Valparaiso, we were 
boarded by a naval officer from a guardacosta^ 
then lying in port. He desired us not to cast 
anchor till the captain had presented himself to 
the Governor and obtained his permission. Con- 
sequently, while Mr. Shaler accompanied this of* 
ficer to the Governor, we lay off and on in the bay. 
More than aa hour had elapsed before his return 
with a permission to anchor, and to remain till a reply 
could be received from the Captain-General at Santi- 
ago, to our request for leave to supply our wants, for 
which a despatch was to be forwarded immediately. 
We were surprised to find no less than four American 
vessels lying here, viz. the ship Hazard of Providence, on 
a voyage similar to our own, detained on suspicion of being 
English, from the circumstance of being armed. The ship 
Miantinomo and schooner Oneco of Norwich, Connecticut, each with 
valuable cargoes of seal skins taken on the Island of Masafuera, both 
detained, and finally confiscated, on a charge of having supplied 
English privateers, then on the coast, with provisions which they had 
obtained at Talcahuana ; and the ship Tryal, of Nantucket, a whaler, 
also detained for alleged illicit trade. If we were surprised to meet 




164 SECOND VOYAGE. 

SO many of our countrymen here, we were equally mortified, and in 
some degree alarmed for our own safety, to find them all under 
seizure. Yet, while we violated no law, and required no other than 
the privileges secured to us by treaty, we could not believe that we 
should be molested. 

On the third day after the Governor's messenger had been des- 
patched a reply was received from the Captain- General, — the pur- 
port of which was, that our passage had been so good that we could 
not be in want of provisions, if we had provided such quantity in 
Europe as we ought to have done. But if it were otherwise, and our 
wants were as urgent as represented, the mode by which we proposed 
paying for them, by a bill on Paris, was inadmissible ; and, therefore, 
that it was his Excellency's order that we should leave the port at 
the expiration of twenty-four hours after this notification. On remon- 
strating with the Governor, and pointing out to him the inhumanity 
of driving us to sea, while in possession of so small a supply of the 
first necessaries of life, he very reluctantly consented to our remain- 
ing another post ; and even promised to make a more favorable report, 
on the urgencies of our necessities, than he had done. But as the 
order was reiterated, we doubted his having performed his promise, 
and therefore determined to write directly to the Captain-General. 

In conformity with this decision, Mr. Shaler addressed a letter to 
the Captain-General, in the Spanish language, expressing his surprise 
at the order for his departure, without affording him the supplies 
which were indispensable, and for which provision had been made by 
treaty. " Presuming that his Excellency's intentions had been miscon- 
ceived by the Governor, he had ventured to disobey the order, and 
to remain in port till the reception of his Excellency's reply. A 
prompt and very polite answer to the letter was received, granting us 
permission to supply ourselves with every thing we desired ; and, 
what was very extraordinary, giving us further permission, which had 
not been asked, of selling so much of the cargo as would be sufficient 
to pay for the supplies. After which, he desired we would leave the 
port immediately ; and added, that if we entered any other port on 
the coast, we should be treated as contrabandists. 

The latter paragraph of his Excellency's letter, evidently conveyed 
a doubt, in his mind, whether our destination and the object of our 



VALPARAISO. 165 

voyage was what we had stated it to be. But, having subjected 
ourselves to the mortification of having the correctness of our state- 
ment doubted, there seemed to be no other remedy than patience and 
forbearance. At any rate, our embarrassments were more entirely 
relieved than we had anticipated. We procured our provisions and 
paid for them in manufactures, and were engaged in settling our 
accounts, preparatory to our departure on the morrow, having already 
exceeded a month since our arrival. 

But we were unconscious of what a day would bring forth, and 
entirely unprepared for a train of unfortunate events, in which every 
American in port was more or less involved. It appeared that a part 
of the cargo of the ship Hazard consisted of muskets. These were 
demanded by the Governor, on pretext of being contraband of war, 
and were very properly refused by Captain Ho wan, who stated to the 
Governor that they were taken on board at a neutral port, that they 
were not destined to any port of the enemies of Spain, and that they 
did not come under the sixteenth article of the treaty. 

During our stay here we had ascertained that the actual governor 
of the place was, with his family, on a visit to the capital, and that 
the person with whom we had been treating, and who represented 
here the Majesty of Spain, Don Antonio Francisco Garcia Carrasco, 
was an officer of inferior grade, acting as governor during the 
absence of his superior. Don Antonio was about sixty years of age, 
of pleasing manners, of prepossessing countenance, and apparently 
of amiable disposition ; but of no decision of character, of contracted 
mind, putFed up with vanity, and confounded at the audacity that 
should dare refuse compliance with an order given in the name of his 
King ; indeed, in his person, character,' and capacities, there was a 
striking resemblance to the portrait drawn by Cervantes, of the cele- 
brated Governor of Barrataria. 

The pride of the Governor was evidently wounded by the refusal 
of Rowan to obey his demand of the muskets ; and his subsequent 
measures to obtain them were calculated to exhibit his folly, and to 
increase his mortification and hostile feelings. To suppose, with his 
feeble means, that he could coerae a compliance with his demand, 
was to suppose the American to be as great a poltroon as himself. 
As far, however, as the attempt could prove it, he certainly did expect 
to do so. 



166 SECOND VOYAGE. 

The troops of the garrison, about thirty in number, with drums 
beating, and colors displayed, were seen marching from the castle to 
the sea shore, in the afternoon of the day on which the muskets had 
been refused. E,owan, who was on the alert, saw them embark in a 
large launch, accompanied by the Governor, and prepared himself 
for resistance. The launch, which with rowers and soldiers, was 
excessively crowded, approached the Hazard with the royal colors 
flying. When within hail of the ship, the Governor stood up, and 
demanded if he might come on board. Rowan replied, that he should 
be happy to be honored with his company, but that he would not per- 
mit any one of his soldiers to come on board. The launch approached 
nearer to the ship, to enable the parties to converse with more ease. 
The Governor again formally demanded the surrender of the arms, 
and was again refused. He remonstrated, and urged the conse- 
quences of resisting the authority of the King's representative. But 
it was all unavailing, and perceiving that neither threats nor persua- 
sion had the desired effect, that armed sentries were stationed at the 
gangways of the ship, and the proper precautions taken against a 
coup de main, he returned to the shore with his soldiers, deeply mor- 
tified, excessively irritated, and vowing vengeance. 

But it is not unusual, that what is done in the moment of great 
excitement, is not of the most judicious character, and that by suffer- 
ing ourselves to be controlled by our passions, we commit acts which 
increase the absurdity of a ridiculous position, and augment our 
embarrassments. This was precisely the case with the Governor, in 
this instance. Without adverting to consequences, but influenced by 
the violence of his passion, he, immediately on landing, ordered every 
American who could be found on shore, to be arrested and shut up in 
the castle. Shaler, Rouissillon, and myself, being of this number, 
were accordingly arrested, and, with four others of our countrymen, 
were marched to prison, in charge of a file of soldiers, who, by their 
conversation during the time, evinced that their feelings were in 
unison with those of the Governor, 

At the same time with the order for our arrest, and as if to con- 
summate his folly, the Governor made another attempt to intimidate, 
by ordering the captain of a large Spanish ship, which mounted 
eighteen heavy guns betwixt decks, to bring his broadside to bear on 



ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT. 167 

the Hazard, and to order her colors to be hauled down, in token of 
submission, on penalty of being sunk. After what had occurred, to 
make such a threat, without daring to take the responsibility of exe- 
cuting it, served only to increase the awkwardness of the Governor's 
position. While all, both on shore, and on board the shipping, were 
watching with intense interest the result of this threat, a man was 
observed on board the Hazard, engaged in nailing the colors 
to the mast. A more significant reply could not possibly be 
made. The Governor was foiled ; and a calm succeeded the storm, 
during the time required to despatch a courier to the Captain-General, 
and to receive his instructions in the case. 

Our arrest prevented our sailing, as we intended to do, the same 
evening. Having passed a most uncomfortable night, without beds, 
in the castle, where we were annoyed by myriads of fleas, and hav- 
ing been without food of any kind, since noon of the preceding day, we 
wrote to the Governor in the morning, requesting to be provided with 
food and beds. Our letter was returned unopened ; but, about noon, 
by a verbal message from the Governor, we were informed, that 
liberty was given us to go on board our respective ships. We were 
doubtful of the propriety of availing ourselves of this liberty, so 
ungraciously proffered, till an apology should be made to us for the 
aggression. It was finally settled, that Shaler, being the most impor- 
tant person, as master of the vessel, should remain in prison. We 
therefore sent to him a bed and provisions. This was a determina- 
tion for which the Governor was entirely unprepared, and which 
seemed to confound him. With characteristic imbecility he went to 
the castle ; and, greeting Mr. Shaler with apparent cordiality, begged 
him to go on board his vessel, and proceed to sea. This Shaler 
offered to do, on condition of receiving a written apology for impris- 
oning us. He declined giving it. Permission was then asked to 
send an express, with a letter, to the Captain-General. This he per- 
emptorily and angrily refused, and then suddenly started off to super- 
intend the preparations which he was making to compel a surrender 
of the Hazard, the orders for which he expected to receive the next 
day. 

Although the ostensible reason for refusing a compliance with the 
Governor's order to go to sea, was to obtain satisfaction, yet the real 



168 SECOND VOYAGE. 

cause of our delay was the hope and belief of being able to render 
essential service in aiding to extricate Rowan from his difficulties. It 
was evident, that the Governor desired only the sanction of the Cap- 
tain-General, to attempt coercion ; and, in expectation of receiving 
it, he was making the requisite preparations. The soldiers of the 
garrison and the populace were busily engaged, under the direction 
of the Governor, in placing cannon, in every direction, to bear on the 
ship. The inhabitants of the houses, in the vicinity, left them, and 
retired to the hills. The activity and bustle of business had given 
place to the preparation and excitement of war ; and the confusion 
and apprehension could hardly have been exceeded, if the town had 
been on the point of being taken by assault. 

While Mr. Rouissillon and myself were walking through one of 
the streets, we encountered the Governor, who saluted us, and asked 
me if I was not next in command on board to Mr. Shaler. Answer- 
ing in the affirmative, he ordered me to go on board, and proceed to 
sea. On my rejoining, that I could not go without my captain, he 
threatened to seize the vessel, and, without waiting for a reply, left us 
abruptly, and apparently in an angry mood. In the course of the 
following day, being the fourth from the beginning of hostilities, the 
express arrived from Santiago, bringing a letter to Captain Rowan 
from the Captain-General. It contained such promises of redress, if 
he would comply with the requisitions of government, by delivering 
up the arms, that he was induced to yield. The arms were accord- 
ingly delivered to the order of the Governor, and his receipts taken 
for them. The portentous cloud, which had been lowering over the 
affairs of our countrymen, in this place, appeared to be now dissipated. 
The colors of defiance, which had been waving on the ships and at 
the castle, from the beginning of the dispute, were hauled down ; 
the cannon, which had been transported to the beach, were returned 
to their ancient position ; the sentries were no longer seen at the 
gangways of the Hazard ; the old women and children returned to 
their habitations ; and every thing indicated peace and repose. 

This repose, however, was only the treacherous calm that precedes 
the hurricane. The Governor could not brook the indignity he had 
suffered. The vengeance he had vowed, and which he had not the 
courage to take openly, he determined to execute treacherously ; and 



TREACHEEY OF THE GOVERNOR. 169 

his measures, which were taken with great secrecy, and with the stimu- 
lus of plunder, were executed with such success, as must have satis- 
fied his highest ambition, and served as a bahn to his wounded feelings. 

On the evening of the day, when the muskets were surrendered, 
Mr. Rouissillon and myself made a visit to the Governor, and found 
him to be as affable and pleasant, as was naturally to be expected on 
attaining the object, of which he had so long been in pursuit. He 
hoped we should proceed to sea the next day, and inquired why 
Eowan did not come on shore ; adding, to our surprise, that if he did 
not come voluntarily, he should use coercion. We assured him of 
our belief that his not having been on shore that day was accidental, 
and not from any apprehension of molestation, begged him not to 
think of coercion, and offered our guarantee that he should present 
himself at the castle in the morning. On leaving the Governor we 
went on board the Hazard, and reported to Rowan our conversation 
with the Governor. He had no hesitation in determining to act in 
accordance with his desire, by visiting him as early as it was permit- 
ted strangers to be on shore. 

Fearing, in this instance, a too ready compliance, in which case 
the opportunity for revenge would escape him, the Governor must 
have had every thing planned and prepared in the evening, probably 
while we were with him, to execute his cowardly design in the morn- 
ing, before it was permitted Rowan to come on shore. The launches, 
which were used to transport wheat from the shore to the large ship 
before mentioned, passed and repassed near the Hazard while thus 
engaged ; consequently they would excite no suspicion when approach- 
ing the ship. An enterprise, involving so little risk, and which prom- 
ised so golden a harvest of plunder, had not to wait for the requisite 
number of men. About two hundred ruffians, armed with pistols, 
swords, and knives, embarked in the launches used for carrying wheat, 
and boarded the Hazard, on each side, while her men were entirely 
off their guard, unsuspicious of any cause of hostility. To save their 
lives, such of the crew as were able made a hasty retreat to the hold. 
But there were two poor fellows lying sick in their hammocks ; and 
these were both dangerously wounded. Rowan was screened from 
the vengeance of the banditti by the interference of an officer, taken 
immediately on shore, and sent to the castle. 
15 



170 SECOND VOYAGE. 

The scene of plunder and confusion which ensued, beggars all 
description. Perceiving that the mischief was likely to be more 
extensive than he had imagined, the Governor went on board, with a 
party of soldiers, to arrest its progress. But he soon discovered, that 
it is easier to set a mob in motion than to control it afterwards. With 
his utmost efforts, aided by the soldiers, and by the commandant of 
the custom-house guards and his satellites, he was incapable of resist- 
ing the progress of the plunderers, until, being satiated, they retreated 
with their booty to the shore, as opportunity offered. When there 
were but few remaining, he succeeded in driving them away, and 
placed the ship in charge of the mates. 

After such an achievement, such a gathering of laurels, there was 
some hazard to a foreigner in calling on the Governor, even though it 
were to compliment him. But, being determined that the Captain- 
General should have our version of the transaction, I called on him, 
at noon, for leave to send an express to the capital to complain of 
the outrage, and to demand that redress there, which we asked in 
vain here. In an angry tone, and instead of replying to my request, 
he inquired, if we were desirous of provoking him to serve us in the 
manner he had done the ship ? I replied, that I hoped there was no 
danger of our causing him any provocation, but should it be our 
misfortune to do so, to the extent intimated, there could exist no cause 
for such violent measures as had been used towards the ship, as no 
resistance would be made. I then remarked on the advantage that 
would result to the government in keeping away the rabble, and thus 
securing the whole property. I stated, also, that there were many 
valuable instruments, charts, and books, on board, which would be 
useful to the Spanish marine, but which might be destroyed, if, as he 
suggested, " he served us in the manner he had done the ship ; " and 
I repeated a hope that he would not do so. Seeing that I was not 
to be intimidated, and was moreover, determined not to go to sea 
without communicating with the Captain-General, he at length reluct- 
antly consented to our sending an express. 

We had reason to believe, that, if we could obtain permission to 
visit Santiago, we should there be able to make a sale of our cargo, 
deliverable outside the port, and which, at one half the prices current 



PREPARE TO DEPART. 171 

in the city, would yield us a handsome profit. To gain an additional 
number of days in port, therefore, in the hope of obtaining leave to 
proceed to the capital, or of meeting some person from there desirous 
of purchasing the cargo, was another inducement for the refusal of 
Mr. Shaler to leave the castle. When, therefore, this object was 
attained by opening a correspondence with the Captain-General, he 
left the castle, and returned on board the Lelia Byrd. 

The letter written by Mr. Shaler in Spanish, and complaining of 
the outrageous conduct of the Governor, to the unoffending citizens 
of a friendly power, was sent by a courier. It produced an inter- 
change of several letters, the purport of which was, on one side, to 
deny the right of any foreign vessel to traverse these seas, which, 
his Excellency said, like the territory, belonged exclusively to his 
Catholic Majesty ; on the other, to refute the absurd doctrine of any 
nation's possessing an exclusive right to any particular sea, and giving 
chapter and verse in the treaty, not only for our right to sail where 
we please, but to enter their ports and demand succor. His Excel- 
lency closed the correspondence by expressing a hope, that if we did 
not admit their exclusive right to these seas, we would, at least, allow 
them to be masters in their own ports. 

It being now very evident that we should not succeed in obtaining 
leave to visit Santiago, and, having assisted in bringing Rowan's 
affairs into such a train as promised a speedy and satisfactory adjust- 
ment, there existed no farther inducement to remain longer in port. 
Accordingly, having settled our various accounts of disbursements, 
Mr. Shaler, accompanied by Mr. Rouissil Ion, waited on the Governor, 
to notify him of his intention to proceed to sea next morning, and to 
take leave. He received them with great cordiality, expressed much 
regret at what had occurred, promised to remedy the mischief as far 
as he was able, ofTered us every facility in his power to insure our 
departure at the time appointed, and, though it would not have been 
surprising if he had wished us to the devil, on the contrary, wished 
us a good voyage. 

There was a number of our unfortunate countrymen in port, 
principally the crews of the condemned vessels, who had lost their 
little all, and whose situation excited commiseration. We knew 
that, if they could get to Masafuera with the provisions they could 



172 SECOND VOYAGE. 

obtain here, they would, by pursuing their vocation, soon bring up 
arrears. We determined, therefore, to go so far out of our way as 
to give them all passages thither. They all very gratefully accepted 
our invitation. Being ready, on the 21st of April, and on the point 
of leaving the port, a message was brought from the Governor, 
requesting to see Mr. Shaler. He went immediately to him, and 
found, to his astonishment, that he wanted him to defer his departure 
a few days. It appeared that some suspicious or malicious person 
had suggested to this silly governor, that our object, in taking so many 
men on board, was to capture the large ship, then on the point of 
sailing for Lima. To guard against this, he begged Mr. Shaler to 
defer sailing till forty-eight hours after that ship had sailed, and 
moreover hoped we would not revenge ourselves on any unarmed 
Spanish vessel we might chance to meet. 

In acceding to the Governor's solicitation, we felt more for the 
disappointment of our passengers, than for any inconvenience to 
ourselves. Three or, at most, four days would soon wear away, 
when we should be off, and experience once more the blessings of 
liberty ; for it did not enter our imaginations that there could possibly 
exist any further difficulty. The time we had agreed to wait, how- 
ever, had not quite expired, when we were taken all aback again. It 
appeared that one of our sailors, an Irishman, who had deserted, had 
given information that we had many kegs of dollars on board, stowed 
under the ballast. As he had pointed out precisely where they were, 
an armed force came on board, by order of the Governor, and, 
proceeding directly to the place indicated by the sailor, found, instead 
of kegs of dollars, kegs of quicksilver, of which they took away 
four, giving a receipt for them. 

We flattered ourselves that this aggression would be the means of 
opening the way for our going to the capital. Renewing, therefore, 
our correspondence with the Captain-General, to complain of this 
outrage, and remarking on our entire want of confidence in the 
capacity or honesty of the Governor and his advisers, we reiterated 
our request for leave to repair to Santiago, for the more speedy 
adjustment of our grievance. In reply, his Excellency remarked on 
the loss of time which our coming to Santiago would cause, and 
observed that the difficulty could be easily adjusted at Valparaiso, by 



RETURN OF THE CAPTAIN-GENERAL. 173 

answering satisfactorily the following questions, viz. Why was the 
quicksilver hidden under the ballast ? To whom does it belong ? 
To what port destined ? These interrogatories, being solemnly 
propounded by the Governor to Mr. Shaler, a notary public being 
present, he replied to the first, that it was not hidden ; to the second, 
that it belonged to the owners of the vessel and cargo ; to the third, 
that its destination was round the world ; and to this deposition he 
took an oath on an odd volume of Shakspeare, presented him by the 
Governor for that purpose. 

The result of this investigation was immediately despatched to the 
Captain-General ; and an answer returned by his Excellency with 
the least possible delay ; the purport of which was, that the four kegs 
of quicksilver should be restored to us on board, and that we should 
then leave the port without further delay. We were now surprised 
by an overture from the commandant of the custom-house guards, to 
purchase the quicksilver. He proposed to us a good price, and to take 
it out, and bring the amount, in dollars, on board himself. The sale, 
at his proposal, would have been a very advantageous one ; but our 
experience had taught us to beware of treachery ; and, imagining 
such to be lurking in this proposal, we declined accepting it. During 
this controversy, the men, whom we intended taking to Masafuera, 
had dispersed in various directions ; so that, having on board only 
our original small complement of men, the authorities had no cause 
to apprehend any acts of piracy from us. 

The functions of Don Antonio, as Governor, ad interim^ having 
ceased on the arrival of his senior from Santiago, when we were on 
the point of sailing, we made him a visit as soon after his arrival as 
etiquette would permit. He gave us a most cordial, frank, and 
friendly reception, and expressed much regret at having been absent 
on our arrival ; as, he said, not only would the trouble we had expe- 
rienced have been avoided, but he would have obtained permission for 
us to visit Santiago. The order for our departure, however, being 
now given by the Captain-General, was irrevocable, and he therefore 
hoped there would be no further delay. On taking leave, he inun- 
dated us with civilities and good wishes, promising, moreover, to use 
his best endeavors to bring the affair of our unfortunate countryman, 
Rowan, to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion. These civilities, 
15* 



174 ' SECOND VOYAGE. 

professions, and promises, passed with us for no more than they were 
worth, after the observations our opportunities had afforded us, of 
judging of the character, and motives of action, of the authorities 
here. 

It was now the 6th day of May, being two and a half months from 
the date of our arrival ; a long time, considering that we were allowed 
only twenty-four hours by the Captain-General, to remain in port ; 
and for the third time had settled our accounts, and made all ready 
for our departure. No further obstacle to our sailing occurring, and 
having taken leave of our acquaintance and countrymen, we left 
Valparaiso, to the great satisfaction of the Governor and authorities, 
no less than of ourselves. 

During our sojourn at Valparaiso, we had become acquainted with, 
and were in the habit of visiting on familiar terms, several interesting 
native families ; for the native inhabitants sympathized with us, and 
condemned the unfriendly course manifested towards us by their 
rulers. They seemed, generally, to be awakening to a sense of the 
abject state of vassalage in which they were held by their European 
masters ; the posts of honor and profit being exclusively in possession 
of Europeans, to the great annoyance of the Creoles. Bursts of 
indignation, at these and other grievances connected with them would 
sometimes escape them, which were generally accompanied with a 
hope that the period of emancipation was not very distant. 

Such sentiments were met by us with corresponding ones, by 
drawing a parallel between their country and ours, while each was 
under a colonial system of government, by adverting to the greater 
physical means in their possession to enable them to throw off the yoke, 
than was possessed by the Anglo-Americans, in the beginning of 
their Revolution, by demonstrating to them the greatly increased value 
of the products of their soil, and the diminished prices at which they 
would receive the manufactures of Europe, when their commerce 
should be freed from the shackles to which tyranny and folly had so 
long subjected it ; and finally, by remarking on the paralyzing and 
debasing effects on the mind, which are inseparable from a protracted 
state of dependence and vassalage. For the better promotion of the 
embryo cause, we gave them a copy of our Federal Constitution, and 
a translation into Spanish, of our Declaration of Independence. 



VALPARAISO. 175 

Valparaiso probably is indebted for its name to its romantic 
scenery and to the salubrity of its climate, for in no other respect 
does it deserve the appellation.* Between the base of the hills and 
the sea, there is a street of moderate breadth, which is bounded on 
the west by high and precipitous hills ; and on the east, is continued 
to the adjoining village of Almendrale. In this street are the best 
houses ; some of which are two stories high, of brick plastered, and 
of ordinary structure and appearance. Crossing this street at right 
angles, are others in the deep chasm between the hills, which soon 
cease to be streets, and become crooked and narrow paths, leading up 
on either side the hills, to cottages and huts of very mean appearance* 
The church, which is a very ordinary structure, is situated on an 
elevation on one of the cross streets, and near the centre of the town. 
The castle, including the Governor's residence, fronts on the bay, and 
is a dilapidated enclosure, unworthy of the name. 

The bay of Valparaiso is spacious, and being sheltered from the 
south winds, which prevail during seven months of the year, from 
October to May, is very smooth and safe riding for ships during that 
season. At the season when the north winds prevail, from May to 
October, it is dangerous lying there, as there is no shelter from this 
wind, and its usual accompaniment, a rough sea, which sometimes 
comes in with a force and impetuosity that cannot be resisted, even 
with the best ground-tackle. It is the nearest seaport to Santiago, 
the capital of Chili ; and hence derives an importance, which it 
possesses not intrinsically. 

The native inhabitants are generally amiable, hospitable, indolent, 
and ignorant. It seems as if it were the policy of the existing 
government to discourage industry by the trammels to which the 
commerce of the country is subjected. If a greater quantity of 
wheat, or other perishable commodity is raised, than can find vent 
through the narrow channels that are open, it is lost to the cultivator ; 
and copper, the other staple product of Chili, is, by the same 
governmental restrictions on commerce, kept at a price not exceeding 
half its value. The government, also, and particularly the ecclesi- 
astical part of it, are sensible that their power rests on the ignorance 

* Val-Faraiso, Valley of Paradise. 



176 SECOND VOYAGE. 

of the people ; hence the excessive dread of the introduction of all 
books ; the watchfulness of the priests to guard their flocks against 
possessing any volume which they have not seen and approved, as 
well as against the contaminating influence and opinions of foreign 
heretics. The care, anxiety, and efforts made by them, to suppress 
all means of information, do not, however, pass unobserved by many 
of the most sensible Creoles, who seem to be waking up to a sense 
of their degradation. With these the seed is planted, which, in due 
time, may be expected to bring forth abundant fruit. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Amve at the Gallipagos Islands — Transactions there — Departure — Smgular Flaw 
of Wind — An-ival at San Bias — Visited by the Commissary — Agreement with 
him — Opposed by the Governor — Character of the Governor — Controversy 
between the Governor and Commissary — Order to leave San Bias — Arrangement 
with Eouissillon — He leaves us for Mexico — Go to the Three Maria Islands — Em- 
ban-assment — Letter from Eouissillon — Death of the Governor — Catch a Sun 
Fish — Description of Three Marias — Return again to San Bias — Proposal for the 
Cargo — Return of Rouissillon — Sale of Part of the Cargo — Purchase Sea Otters' 
Skins — Suspicion of Treachery — Take final Leave of Rouissillon — His Character 
— Death — Again anchor at the Three Marias — Discover a Traitor in the Mate — 
Seize his Papers — Remarks thereon. 




.^3^ long detention, and unfortunate controversy 
at Valparaiso, operated unfavorably to our pros- 
pects, as our vessel, ourselves, and the disturban- 
ces we had caused, had become known, not only 
to the government officers, but to almost the whole 
population of the various ports of Chili and Peru, 
included between Valparaiso and Lima. To enter, 
therefore, any other port between those limits, or 
to be captured in the neighborhood of any one of them, 
would subject us to the risk of confiscation. It was, 
consequently, judged to be most prudent to proceed to 
some place so distant from the scene of our late trans- 
actions, that the knowledge of them could not have pre- 
ceded us. This object would, doubtless, be realized in 
any of the ports of the Vice-Royalty of Mexico ; and, 
from various sources of information, we were induced to 
believe that San Bias offered the greatest facilities for the disposal of 
our cargo, with the least risk attending it. To San Bias, therefore, 
we determined to proceed, touching on our way, at the Gallipagos 
Islands. 



178 SECOND VOYAGE. 

In conformity with this determination, we shaped our course, and 
having none other than the favorable winds, deHghtful weather, and 
smooth sea, which are peculiar to this region, we arrived and anchored 
at the bottom of a spacious bay at Albemarle Island, on the 30th of 
May, at about a mile distant from the shore, and opposite the beach 
of black sand. Here we passed a week very agreeably in rambling 
about the island ; and in the enjoyment of a freedom of action and of 
will, the more highly prized and enjoyed, from the restraint to which 
we had been, of late, so much subjected ; and not unlike what the 
school-boy feels when emancipated from the control of the master. 
The fish were so abundant, at our anchorage, that no skill was requir- 
ed in taking them. As many hooks as were lowered and baited, 
would bring up fish, and this as fast as we could haul them in ; so 
that beside having abundance for the immediate use of all, we salted 
a barrel full for consumption on the passage. In size, texture, and 
flavor, they had a great affinity to the cod. The turtles are very 
abundant and taken with great ease. We took on board as many as 
there was a prospect of our being able to consume. Guanos of vari- 
ous sizes and colors, are exceedingly numerous here. They are 
said to be as delicate and agreeable food as the chicken ; but the 
ship's company had the same antipathy to them, which is so univer- 
sal with regard to snakes ; and while they had such a bountiful supply 
of fine fish and turtle, they had no disposition to try the guano. We 
traversed various parts of the island, and camped out one night, in 
search of water, but found none, though there were evidences of its 
being abundant at some seasons of the year. 

Having satisfactoril}^ accomplished the object of our visit, we sailed 
on the 8th of June for San Bias. While yet but a few miles from 
Albemarle Island, and going with a moderate breeze, during the first 
watch, the weather clear and the sea smooth, we experienced a very 
singular flaw of wind, which, without any warning, and without being 
felt on deck, or by the sails on the mainmast, carried the fore-topmast 
over the side, after which it became calm, and so continued for more 
than two hours. 

In a few days after leaving the island, we came in sight of the 
coast, in the vicinity of Acapulco, and from that time, having delight- 
ful weather, we kept the land in sight every day, till our arrival in 



SAN BLAS. 179 

the bay of San Bias, on the 11th of July. It is very remarkable, 
and strongly indicative of the low state of the Spanish commerce in 
these seas, at this period, that, from the time of our departure from 
Valparaiso, to that of our arrival here, and sailing all the time not 
very distant from the most beautiful coast to navigate in the world, 
we did not meet or see a vessel of any description. 

Our reception at San Bias formed a contrast to that experienced on 
arriving at Valparaiso. A friendly welcome from those in authority, 
and encouragement to expect that our wants would be supplied ; and 
though this welcome was from subalterns, and might not be sanc- 
tioned by their superiors, it was, nevertheless, viewed by us as a 
favorable omen. At this season of the year, San Bias is a very 
unhealthy residence ; and, in consequence, it is the practice of the 
Governor, the Commissary of the Arsenal, and the most opulent of 
the inhabitants to reside at Tipec, a healthy and pleasant town, about 
twenty leagues distant, in the interior. Notice of our arrival having 
been sent to them, the Commissary came down immediately ; and on 
a first interview with him, we had much reason to flatter ourselves that 
the current of our affairs would meet with less obstruction, than we 
had hitherto experienced. There was no hesitation on his part in 
engaging to supply us with every thing our necessities required ; and 
ascertaining we had some boxes of tin plate, which was exceedingly 
wanted, he engaged to take these in payment, at a very great advance 
on its cost. This arrangement being made with the Commissary, 
required the sanction of the Governor before it could be carried into 
effect. 

Our friend Kouissillon, being very desirous of visiting Mexico, was 
determined, on this account, no less than from the desire of obtaining 
permission from the Viceroy to dispose of our cargo here, to leave 
no effort untried to obtain the requisite passport. With this view, he 
accompanied the Commissary to Tipec, on his return thither. By a 
letter from him, dated a few days after his arrival, we had cause to 
apprehend that obstacles to our success would be in no degree less 
than those we had experienced at Valparaiso. The Governor, he 
represented, to be a proud, vain, and very passionate man, unaccus- 
tomed to any opposition to his will, and indignant that the Commissary 
should have presumed to enter into any engagement with us without 



180 SECOND VOYAGE. 

first consulting him. He had, therefore, refused to confirm the 
doings of the Commissary, positively forbidden the landing of the tin, 
and decided that our supplies must be paid for by a draft on the 
American ambassador at Madrid. 

We had now been the means of placing in hostile attitudes the two 
great officers of the government. The Commissary, whose appoint- 
ment emanated from the same source as that of the Governor's, and 
whose line of duty was distinct and independent of him, was exceed- 
ingly mortified and piqued, at the attitude in which he was placed, 
and seemed determined not to submit to it. The Governor, who 
could not brook opposition to his will, was incapable of concealing 
his wrath ; hence the quarrel became known, and was soon the all- 
absorbing topic of the inhabitants of Tipec. The feelings of the 
community became enlisted on one side or the other ; but the prepon- 
derance was as greatly on the side of the Commissary, as the native 
population exceeded the foreign. Such general excitement, however, 
as this little affair had caused, was never before known in this hitherto 
quiet and dull town. An unfortunate lieutenant in the army, who 
had the temerity to say a word in disapprobation of the course of the 
Governor, was immediately ordered under arrest. 

While the chiefs and populace of Tipec were engaged in an angry 
controversy on our account, we had passed a week, free from annoy- 
ance, at San Bias ; where we had procured a new topmast, filled our 
water-casks, and obtained all the supplies we had asked. But it 
became very evident that the rancorous hostility of the Governor would 
effectually prevent the disposal of any part of our cargo, notwith- 
standing the aid which the Commissary was disposed to give us. 
Indeed, without any reference to payment, and at the same time with 
the receipt of the supplies, was received an order for our immedi- 
ately leaving the port, accompanied with a threat, in case of disobe- 
dience, of ordering out the gun-boats to drive us away. The possi- 
bility of such an event had been anticipated, and its injurious effects 
guarded against, by an understanding with Rouissillon, that we should 
go to the Three Maria Islands, which are about sixty miles distant, 
and there remain until his return from Mexico, for which city he was 
in momentary expectation of receiving a passport, and where, he 
had great encouragement to believe, he should obtain permission to 



ANCHOR LOST. 181 

dispose of our cargo, or at least of some part of it. Of the result of 
his negotiation, he would inform us by a boat, which should be des- 
patched to the Islands, immediately on his return to San Bias, which 
was supposed would be in the course of six or eight weeks. 

There being no further cause for remaining here, we readily 
obeyed the order of the Governor, without putting him to the trouble 
of enforcing it ; and, having signed duplicate receipts for the amount 
of our supplies, we sailed, in the evening of the 1st of August, as 
soon as the land breeze came off. The next day we anchored in a 
beautiful, smooth, sandy bay, on the north side of the middle island, 
at about two cables' length from the shore, and perfectly secure from 
the violence of the southeast winds, which, at this season of the year, 
blow occasionally with great force. Here we again enjoyed the 
great pleasure of uncontrolled action ; and here, without molestation, 
we improved the opportunity of overhauling the rigging, repairing 
the sails, brushing up the vessel, and procuring a good supply of 
fuel, which was very abundant, of good quality, and obtained with 
great ease. In the performance of these necessary labors, with 
alternate periods of recreation on shore, we had consumed five 
weeks ; and then, desirous of changing the scene, we vished the 
northern island of the group, and found as good anchorage in a bay, 
on the eastern side of this island, as that we had just left. After 
passing nearly a week at this beautiful island, we returned to our 
former anchorage, at the middle island, in the hope and expectation 
of seeing the messenger from Rouissillon the following week. But 
the following, and eVen the tenth week, since leaving San Bias, passed 
away ; and the messenger failed to make his appearance. 

We made excursions on shore, every day, for the advantage of 
exercise and recreation, and frequently permitted the crew to do the 
same, one half at a time. The underwood formed an impassable 
barrier, which prevented our penetrating to the interior in any other 
way than by the gullies, which had been made by the rains. It was 
unusual for my friend Shaler and myself to leave the vessel at the 
same time, because we had not much confidence in the mate ; but, 
occasionally, this precaution was neglected. On one of those days, 
when we were on shore together, we were astonished, in emerging 
from the woods, to perceive our ship, under sail, a long way to lee- 
16 



182 SECOND VOYAGE. 

ward, and standing out to sea. Although the wind blew strong, yet it 
was off shore ; consequently, the water was smooth, and there was no 
reason to suppose the cable had parted. The idea, therefore, suggested 
itself to our minds, simultaneously, that the mate was going off with 
the ship. With such an impression, on a desert island, without a 
boat, without provisions, and destitute of a change of clothing, our 
situation may easily be imagined to have been a forlorn one. Watch- 
ing, therefore, with intense interest, in the hope of seeing the ship 
tack, and perceiving that she kept on her course seaward, until her 
hull was scarcely discernible, we began to believe in the correctness 
of our first impressions, and to despair of again controlling the destiny 
of the Lelia Byrd, when we had the great satisfaction of seeing her 
wear round, and stand in for the anchorage. In about six hours from 
the time of parting the cable, she again cast anchor in the bay, and 
we were rejoiced to find our suspicions misplaced. It appeared that 
the anchorage was less clear than we had supposed, and that the 
cable had been chafed off. 

Such a protracted state of suspense and uncertainty had become 
extremely irksome and embarrassing. With the great loss of time 
and consequent expense, our provisions and stores were daily dimin- 
ishing, without our perceiving how or where they could be replaced. 
It had become therefore indispensable, that a decision should not be 
delayed, as to our next move ; and the choice was presented, of 
going away without hearing from E-ouissillon, or of risking the effect 
of the Governor's hostility, by again entering the roadstead of San 
Bias. The latter appearing to us to be the least of the two difficulties, 
when viewed as connected with the disposal of our cargo, we acted in 
conformity. Our advances, when nearing the port, were made with 
caution ; and every preparation was made to repel any force that 
might be sent to molest us. In the afternoon of the 14th day of 
October, being nearly up with the remarkable rock at the western 
entrance of the bay of San Bias, it was considered to be most prudent 
not to anchor. We therefore lay by all night in sight of the town, 
using all requisite caution against being taken by surprise. 

Early the following morning, we perceived a canoe approaching us 
paddled by Indians ; and, soon after, they were alongside, and handed 
us the long expected letter from Rouissillon. It was dated at Guada- 



LETTER FROM ROUISSILLON. 183 

laxara, on his way to Mexico ; and its contents were of the most 
encouraging character. He had been treated with great kindness 
and hospitality by many of the most respectable inhabitants of the 
place, whence his letter was dated. He had received a very civil 
letter from the Viceroy, accompanied with a passport for the capital, 
and a permission to sell, at San Bias, a sufficient amount of the cargo 
to pay for the supplies with which we had been provided, and 
expressed a confidence of success in obtaining permission to sell the 
whole cargo, and to return to San Bias, in the course of a week or 
ten days. This was, indeed, intelligence of a very exhilarating char- 
acter, and tended to annihilate those forebodings of failure, for which 
before the receipt of this letter, there was but too great cause. Among 
other items, Rouissillon informed us, that, in consequence of the com- 
bined representation of the Commissary and himself, backed by 
several of the most respectable people of Tipec, of the very uncivil 
and rude treatment of the Governor, towards citizens of a power in 
amity with Spain, he had been reprimanded by the Viceroy. Being 
in feeble health, this circumstance, combined with the vexation pro- 
duced by perceiving himself to be out-generalled by the Commissary, 
acting upon an exceedingly irritable temperament, had produced a 
fever, which terminated his existence, about a week previous to the 
date of the letter. 

Having despatched the Indians with a reply to Rouissillon's letter, 
we again returned to our old anchorage at the northern island ; for, 
notwithstanding there was now no longer any danger in lying at 
anchor near San Bias,- yet, as the regulations made it imperative that 
we should receive a guard on board while there, it w^as considered to 
be worth all the trouble of going to the islands, if only to be emanci- 
pated from this incumbrance. Our excursions over them had been 
so often repeated, that there seemed to be no other inducement to 
penetrate into their woods than a desire for exercise. A deviation 
from the general monotony of our situation occurred, one day, in the 
taking of an enormous fish. A school of them had been, several 
hours, gambolling about the bay, sometimes throwing themselves 
wholly out of the water, and coming dow^n into it again with a splash 
and foam, which might be heard at the distance of a mile. As they 
approached our anchorage, the mate and two men went in the jolly- 



184 SECOND VOYAGE. 

boat, and succeeded in throwing the harpoon into one of them. The 
monster, feeling the wound, darted off, seaward, like a shot. As 
soon as he had taken off about twenty fathoms of whale line, the end 
of which was made fast to the boat, he carried off the boat with such 
prodigious velocity, that it was only by good steering, and keeping 
her in a direct line with his course, that she was prevented from 
swamping. It was an amusing spectacle to' see the boat going off 
with such great rapidity, and for such a distance, without perceiving 
the propelling power. At length, after having run about a mile, he 
became exhausted ; and the men in the boat hauled in the line, until 
they came up with him, when they contrived to get his head towards 
the island ; and after a moment, as it were to breathe, he returned 
with almost equal velocity. When near the island, they hauled up to 
him, and, by beating him with the oars, drove him on shore. He 
was supposed to be a sunfish, in shape not unlike a flounder, and 
weighed seven or eight hundred pounds. 

The beautiful group of islands, called, from their number,the Three 
Marias, where we had passed so many weeks, presents to the view, 
from the shore to their summits, a thicket of trees and underwood of 
the most luxuriant verdure. So strongly interlaced is this underwood, 
that it is impenetrable ; and it is only through the deep ravines made 
by the rains, that any part of the interior can be reached. These 
islands abound with rabbits, raccoons, turtles, wild pigeons, parrots, 
parroquets, and various kinds of beautiful small birds. Wood suit- 
able for fuel is procurable in any quantity, with moderate labor. 
Among the hard woods, lignumvitse is very abundant. Water is 
procurable only at the issue of the ravines, after a considerable 
rain, excepting at the eastern side of the northern island, where 
there is a well, which never failed to yield us an abundant supply. 

The time agreed upon for our return to San Bias having arrived, 
we again proceeded thither, and anchored in the roads, on the 20th 
of October. The usual guard were immediately sent on board, the 
sergeant of which v/as the bearer of a polite note from the Comman- 
dant of the Resguardo, desiring to be informed of the object of our 
return. A visit from him, almost simultaneously, superseded the 
necessity of a reply, as he immediately acknowledged it to be only a 
piece of necessary formality without meaning. There was a general 



RETURN OP ROiriSSlLLON* 185 

freedom and ease observable in his manner, which formed a contrast 
with that manifested at our previous visit ; from which we inferred 
that the new Governor was of a character less severe and exacting than 
his predecessor, and, consequently, that we might indulge a hope of 
being permitted to proceed in the accomplishment of our business, 
without encountering any new obstacles. 

By a letter from Rouissillon, dated at Mexico, we found that there 
was cause to apprehend that he had been too sanguine of success. 
His memorial to the Viceroy had not produced the desired effect ; 
and an order, that the Governor should demand of us a list of the 
stores which we needed, and that, as soon as they were supplied, we 
should leave the port, presented but discouraging prospects for the 
result of his efforts at Mexico. In reply to the Governor, we 
expressed regret at our inability to specify the quantity of the stores 
required, from not having been informed by Mr. Rouissillon for what 
destination he intended the ship. Delay was our object, while any 
chance of success presented itself ; and before we could act on the 
Governor's letter, we had the pleasure of learning from our friend ^ 
that a second memorial, accompanied by a judicious application of a 
small douceur, had been the means of obtaining leave for the disposal of 
goods to the amount of ten thousand dollars. At the same time, it 
was intimated, that, by agreeing to sell the cargo, at a trifling advance 
on the invoice, and to particular persons, a permission might be 
obtained to dispose of the whole ; i. e. that if we would consent to 
give up the profit we were seeking to those who had influence with 
government, they would obtain the requisite permission. Rouissillon, 
however, declined the proposal, justly concluding that, with the above 
permission, as great an amount of profit might be made on one half 
the invoice, as the whole would produce by acceding to it. 

On his return from Mexico, Mr. Rouissillon passed a fortnight at 
Tipec, endeavoring to find purchasers for the cargo, but without suc- 
cess. He arrived at San Bias on the 10th of December, and the 
next day we opened our sale ; but unfortunately for us the permis- 
sion was so limited that the merchants of Guadalaxara did not con* 
sider it an object sufficiently great to induce them to come on ; those 
of Tipec were very inconsiderable in number and means, and con- 
sequently the sale advanced heavily. 
16* 



]86 SECOND VOYAGE* 

We had now reached the twelfth day of the new year (1808), and 
the prospects of a favorable result of our enterprise were very small. 
A peremptory order for our immediate departure was received from 
the Governor, who observed that, presuming we should readily obey 
it, he had written to the Viceroy to this effect ; and, therefore, exact- 
ed a compliance. This order would have been obeyed without hesi- 
tation, but for a new object, of sufficient magnitude to induce us to 
take the risk of a quarrel for its attainment. x\n arrival from Cali- 
fornia had brought a quantity of sea otters' skins, which we hoped 
to be able to purchase ; but, as the owner of them was at Mexico, a 
few days was necessarily required for the negotiation. We therefore 
remonstrated with the Governor, urged the impossibility of obedience 
to his order, and requested the liberty of remaining a few days longer. 
As the Governor declined taking this responsibility wholly on his own 
shoulders, he called a council of officers, who came to the determina- 
tion that we might remain ten days longer. This was sufficient for 
our purpose. We succeeded in purchasing sixteen hundred sea 
otters' skins, on such advantageous terms that it would secure our 
voyage from loss, even if we made no further sales. 

The Governor could but ill conceal his vexation at our refusal to 
obey his order for our departure ; and we were therefore not free 
from apprehension that he had some sinister design in consenting to 
our remaining longer. Various reports were in circulation tending to 
induce us to be at all times on our guard. The rumor of there being 
a body of custom-house guards on their way hither from Guadalax- 
ara, whose object was to search our vessel for money, was so current, 
and appeared to be so probable, that we were induced to agree on a 
mode of proceeding, in the event of such an attempt. Mr. Shaler's 
superior knowledge of the Spanish language made it desirable that 
he should stay on shore to transact the business there, while I remain- 
ed on board to attend to the duties, and, as far as practicable, to 
secure the safety of the ship ; for, as an apology for wearing away 
the time until our object was accomplished, we had rigged a mizzen- 
mast, and converted our brig into a ship. As, in the event of any 
hostile movement on the part of the Spaniards, it was not probable 
that he could obtain such timely notice of it, as to effect a retreat, it 
was agreed, that on seeing them approach, I should get the ship under 



FEAR OF AN ATTACK. 187 

way, carrying off the Spanish guard, and lie by at a moderate distance, 
where I could make reasonable terms for the exchange of prisoners. 

While in this state of apprehension, and about the time it was sup- 
posed the guards from Guadalaxara would arrive, the men in our boat, 
which brought off the day's provisions, reported that there were two 
large launches at the landing, ready manned. The men were lying 
on their oars, apparendy waiting the arrival of their officers, and said 
they were going on board our vessel for a hawser we had borrowed. 
Two launches with twenty men each, to carry on shore a hawser, 
was a very improbable story ; and as I could imagine no other cause, 
than that of putting into execution the rumored search, I immediately 
made all preparation to avoid it. But, as it was exceedingly desirable 
to avoid a collision, if possible, T caused all the sails to be loosed, the 
topsails to be sheeted home, and the cable to be hove short. With 
great anxiety, I watched the setting in of the sea breeze, which was 
unusually late ; but, at length, came with much force, and dissipated 
our apprehensions. Desirous of being relieved from so unpleasant a 
state of suspense, I despatched the jolly-boat with a letter to Shaler, 
informing him of my suspicions, the measures I had taken, and my 
determination to be off, if the jolly-boat did not return before the sea 
breeze began to abate. As the guard could not avoid seeing our 
preparations, I advised him to anticipate any thing they might com- 
municate to the Governor, by stating the facts to him in person. 

Whatever may have been intended, nothing was done ; our men 
performed their errand and returned on board unmolested. The next 
day the Commandant made us a visit in the government felucca of 
twenty oars, and with the royal flag displayed. After rowing round 
the vessel, as he said, to see how she looked rigged as a ship^ he came 
on board, and partook of a collation, which had been preparing 
during the time he was engaged in reconnoitring our vessel without 
and within. We observed him to be particularly attentive to our 
armament, and his inquiries relative to the number of small^arms we 
had on board, &c., led us to believe that the object of his visit was to 
ascertain our strength. 

Apprehensive that we might be pounced upon, at any moment, by 
an overwhelmirf^ force, but presuming that they would wait until we 
were nearly ready to depart, as then the prize would be most valuable. 



188 SECOND VOYAGE. 

and our culpability most palpable, it was important that the Com- 
mandant should be kept ignorant of our intention. When he asked, 
therefore^ if we intended going the following day, we suggested to 
him that we could not settle our accounts with the Commissary in time 
for that purpose, to the truth of which he assented. As a further 
evidence of the necessity of another day's delay, we referred to the 
large bulk and amount of merchandise, yet on shore. 

This merchandise, to the value of about three thousand dollars, 
Was intended to be left in charge of Rouissillon, to be sold for oui* 
account ; and the proceeds to be settled for when we should meet in 
the United States. Although no permission was obtained from the 
Governor for taking the sea otters' skins on board, yet, as they were 
under the charge of the Commissary, from whom we received them, 
there was no obstacle to it. It was nearly dark by the time we had 
received the last of them on board : and then the Commissary was 
very urgent that we should not delay a moment unnecessarily before 
putting to sea * as he was apprehensive, that^ if the transaction became 
generally known, it would involve him, as well as ourselves, in trouble* 
However friendly this advice, it was not needed, as our preparations 
were already made to be away, as soon as the object for which we 
had been so solicitous, was secured. We therefore sent the guard 
ashore in the launch that brought off the skins ; and were away undef 
a crowd of sail, before even the launch could have reached the shore* 
As the Commandant had no doubt of our intention to remain another 
day, if his designs were what we had Strong reason to suspect^ he 
must have been greatly disappointed in the morning, to discover, that 
'' the bird had flown. '^ 

It was with feelings of deep regret^ that we parted, here, with our 
excellent and admirable friend the Count John de Rouissillon, with 
whom we had been so intimately associated for so long a period, and 
who had shared so largely in the various perplexing scenes, incident 
to the prosecution of our object. To his address and perseverance 
we were mainly indebted for the permission obtained from the Viceroy 
of Mexico, for the sale of a part of the cargo ; and for the indulgence 
of the additional time in port, necessary to secure the sea otters' 
skins. We had left with him manufactures to the 'amount of three 
thousand dollars cost; and which were worth, at the actual prices 



PARTING WITH ROUISSILLON. 189 

there, more than three times that cost. From the proceeds of this, 
after defraying his expenses, he was to account with us in the 
United States, where we anticipated much pleasure in meeting him, 
in the course of the ensuing year. At parting, he expressed the 
unalloyed enjoyment he had experienced on board, his grateful feel- 
ings for our confidence, and his earnest desire of realizing the 
pleasure of meeting us again in that land of liberty and of equal 
rights, of which he said he should be proud to become a citizen. 

The Count de Rouissillon was the descendent of an ancient noble 
family of Poland. An advocate for liberty, he could not brook the 
subjugation of his country ; and for his efforts to avert it, he was 
proscribed, and was without a home when we became acquainted with 
him at Hamburgh. He possessed a powerful intellect, and gave 
evidence, that great care had been taken in its cultivation. His 
acquirements in mathematics, in astronomy, in music, in drawing, 
were very respectable, and there was scarcely a European language 
with which he was not familiar. Having with him, among others, 
books in the Russian, Polish, and German languages, the Spanish 
authorities, who are extremely watchful and rigorous in their exam- 
ination of all books, were actually confounded by them ; but allowed 
them to pass, on the well-grounded conviction, that nobody in the 
country could read them, and, therefore, that they could do no harm. 
For these attainments he was not more indebted to a fine intellect 
than to an untiring industry which was so habitual, that he seemed to 
grudge a mementos time that was passed without adding something to his 
knowledge. So that when walking the deck for exercise, if there 
was nobody to walk and converse with him, he would be engaged in 
practising some new music on his flute. Being at this time only 
twenty-eight years of age, his prospect for honorable distinction 
seemed all that his ambition could desire ; but, unfortunately, his 
earthly course was cut short not long after we parted. To our great 
grief we learned, on arriving in the United States, that he died at 
Mexico, some time in the year 1803. The exclusive policy of the 
Spanish government, relating to all foreigners, then in full operation, 
made it so difficult to obtain any information from Mexico, that we 
were discouraged from any attempt to ascertain the particulars of his 
death, or to learn what became of our property, or of his effects ; 



190 SECOND VOYAGE. 

and, to this day, we remain in ignorance of every thing relating to 
these subjects. 

The day after our departure from San Bias we anchored once more 
in the bay of the northern Island of the Three Marias, on the 26th of 
January, 1803. More than fifteen months had elapsed since our 
departure from Europe, and our vessel being coppered to light- water 
mark only, we now perceived that the worms had made dreadful 
havoc with the wooden sheathing. It therefore had become necessary 
to careen and boot-top the vessel ; an operation for which we were 
but poorly prepared ; and therefore, in the performance of it, and in 
replenishing our stock of wood and water, a fortnight was consumed. 

Here we accidentally found out that our danger of being seized at 
San Bias had been much greater than we had apprehended, from a 
cause of which we had no suspicion, and therefore could not guard 
against, the treachery of the chief mate. This officer was a young 
Englishman, whose conduct, after leaving Valparaiso, was so repre- 
hensible as to make it necessary to suspend him from duty ; but he 
occupied his place at our table, was permitted to go on shore when 
he pleased, and was treated with proper civiHty. From some intima- 
tions which he occasionally threw out to the men, that he had forborne 
to cause the vessel to be seized, and that he had been offered a thou- 
sand dollars for his journal, it immediately occurred to us that he had 
been more intimate with the authorities of San Bias, than was con- 
sistent with our safety ; and if so, that we ought to know it, to guard 
against the future. As it seemed to be the most direct way of proving 
his guilt or his innocence, and a measure that was justifiable, on the 
principle of self-preservation, we had no hesitation in seizing his 
papers. These we found to consist of a few letters and his sea 
journal. 

On examining the journal, we perceived it had been mutilated, and 
dates only previous to our arrival at Valparaiso, and subsequent to 
our leaving there, remained. Hence there was strong presumptive 
evidence that the intermediate portion, relating to our transactions at 
Valparaiso, was in possession of the government of San Bias. 
Amongst the letters there was only one that related to us. This was 
a letter of introduction from the Commandant to a friend at Macao, 
in which he speaks of our ingratitude to him, and of his having so 



TREACHERY OF THE CHIEF MATE. 191 

committed himself in his endeavor to be serviceable to us that he was 
unable to act as duty required, from the fear of consequences, &c. 
He also recommends his friend to give more credence to any repre- 
sentation which the bearer might make to him, than to those of the 
captain. 

This investigation satisfied us that we had escaped seizure by the 
mere accident of the mate's not making his communication to the 
Commandant until this officer had become so much a party in the 
transaction, as to make his own safety depend on its concealment. 
Our suspicions of his hostile intentions, therefore, may have been 
erroneous, and our hurried departure unnecessary ; but if we erred, 
it will be acknowledged to have been on the side of prudence. 



CHAPTER XV 



Notice of San Bias — Domestic Indians — Circulation of Eevolutionary Papers — Sail 
from the Three Maria Islands — St. Clement's — Indians — An'ive at San Diego — 
Commandant Rodrignez visits the Ship — Leaves a Guard on Board — A Visit to 
the Fort — Ship Alexander — Fail in purchasing the Skins — Detention of our Men 
— Rescue — Disarm the Guard on Board — Prepare for War — Get under Sail to go 
out — Fire of the Fort — Returned — Pass by the Fort — Put the Guards on Shore — 
Arrive at St. Quintin's — Visit of Missionaries — 'Corporal's Letter — Padres' 
Opinion of Rodriguez — Leave St. Quintin's — Notice of it — Guadaloupe — San 
Borja — Padi-e Mariano Apolonario — His Character — Procure Horses — Our Fare- 
well — Arrive at St. Joseph's — Obtain Supplies — SaU for the Sandwich Islands. 




'^^iP^lS opportunity for becoming acquainted with 
San Bias and its environs, was even greater than 
we desired ; and a short notice of it may be proper 
in this place. San Bias is a port and royal 
arsenal, in the province of New Gallicia, in the 
Viceroyalty of Mexico, in latitude 21° 36'' north. 
The port, formed by a branch of the river Santiago, 
and an island to the southwestward, is of small capacity, 
very narrow, and perfectly secure. A bar, at its 
entrance, on which there is not usually more than four- 
teen feet of water, makes it necessary, before attempting 
to enter, to lighten the vessel, in the road, to ten or eleven 
feet, or in proportion as the swell may be on the bar, at the 
time of going over it. It is defended by two batteries ; the 
one of eight guns, on an eminence of the island ; the other 
on the beach abreast the town, besides several gun-boats. The road 
is perfectly safe for ships, while the northwest winds are prevalent, 
which is from November to April. During the other months of the 
year, when the southeast winds prevail, which sometimes blow with 
great force, it is not safe lying there. At this season, also, the thunder- 
squalls are frequent, and are the most awfully sublime that can be 



NOTICE OF SAN BLAS. 193 

imagined. On one night, in particular, for the space of three hours, 
there was scarce a moment's intermission between the claps of thun- 
der ; the roar of which, by drowning the voices, made it requisite to 
substitute signs for performing the duty of giving the ship more cable. 
The lightning was incessant and vivid, running in currents down the 
rigging and fore and aft the ship, and apparently would have envel- 
oped her in flames, but for the torrents of water, which were at the 
same time falling. The scene was by far a more awful one of the 
kind than I ever witnessed before or since ; and we consider ourselves 
very fortunate in escaping all other mischief than that of dragging 
our anchor a mile or two. 

The town is situated on a hill, commanding a fine view of the bay, 
fi'om which it makes a pretty appearance. This impression, however, 
is not confirmed on entering it, the houses being generally very 
ordinary structures, and the streets very dirty. There are about five 
thousand inhabitants, including the seven hundred usually attached to 
the arsenal. The annual expense of the arsenal, at this time, was 
about half a million of dollars. The commerce of San Bias is, 
indeed, trifling, there being only three small merchant vessels owned 
here. The most valuable production of the neighboring country is 
the red cedar, which is of large size, and very abundant. This is 
used for the building of ships, for the masts and spars, for boats, oars, 
houses, and, indeed, for every thing. From the month of June until 
September, the climate of San Bias is considered to be so unhealthy, 
that all who have the ability to remove, go to Tipec, which is situated 
in the highlands, about sixty miles distant. 

The domestic Indians, in the neighborhood of San Bias and Tipec, 
are beginning to manifest signs of discontent and insubordination, 
which are alarming to the Spanish authorities. An insurrection was 
quelled, last year, which came near to annihilating the Spanish 
supremacy in this quarter. An alarm was given while we were here. 
All was bustle and activity ; and all the able men, with field pieces, 
&c., were ordered to Tipec, near which the attack was expected. 
It is understood that the Indians are instigated by Creole Spaniards, 
who, incapable of longer supporting their oppression, are ready to 
make use of such auxiliaries to effect their emancipation. A spirit 
of discontent and alienation towards the government seems to pervade 
17 



194 SECOND VOYAGE. 

the whole Viceroyalty of Mexico. This was confirmed by our letters 
from Rouissillon, while at Mexico, who mentions, that inflammatory 
and revolutionary addresses to the people are currently circulated in 
the city, one of which was handed to him while at the theatre. It 
was written in the French language. Its purport was to make known 
to the citizens their rights ; to show them how they were violated and 
trampled upon ; and to suggest, that the remedy was in their own 
hands. With a view of giving such aid as we supposed might be 
useful, we sent them copies of our Declaration of Independence, and 
of the Constitution of the United States. 

Having succeeded in the completion of our object at the Three 
Maria Islands, we left on the 14th of February, bound to San Diego, 
in California, where we had information of there being a parcel of 
sea otters' skins, which might be obtained advantageously. It being 
the season of the prevalence of strong northerly winds, our passage 
was long and tedious. On the morning of the 16th of March, we 
were becalmed near St. Clement's Island, where, perceiving a smoke, 
we landed abreast of it, and found that it proceeded from a cave 
formed in the side of a hill, by some overhanging rocks and earth 
but insufficient to afford shelter from the weather, with any other than 
northerly winds. In this miserable domicil, resided eleven persons^ 
men, women, and children ; and though the temperature was such 
as to make our woolen garment requisite, they were all in a state of 
perfect nudity. Their food was exclusively fish, and having no 
cooking utensils, their only resource was baking them in the earth. 
We could not perceive that they possessed a word of any other dialect 
than their own, of which we understood nothing. I had been familiar 
with the Indians inhabiting various parts of the western coast of 
America, but never saw any so miserable, so abject, so spiritless, so 
nearly allied to the brute. 

Leaving this wretched family, after distributing among them a few 
articles of clothing, we stood to the eastward, under easy sail, all 
night, and found ourselves, early In the morning, abreast of the port 
of San Diego. A brisk northerly wind prevented our gaining the 
anchorage till the afternoon, when, having passed near the battery 
without being hailed, we came to anchor about a mile within it. The 
next day the Commandant, Don Manuel E-odriguez, with an escort 



VISIT THE BATTERY. 



195 



of twelve dragoons, came down abreast of the ship, and requested ' 
that the boat might be sent for him. This being done immediately, 
he crowded the boat with his escort, and probably regretted the neces- 
sity of leaving on shore his horses. We had been told at San Bias, 
that Don Manuel was an exceedmgly vain and pompous man ; and 
indeed, we found him so ; for such a ridiculous display of a '' little 
brief authority," and pompous parade, I never before witnessed. 
His dress and every movement evinced the most arrant coxcomb. 
Having saluted us on coming over the ship's side, he waited, before 
proceeding aft, until his escort were drawn up in two lines, with hats 
off in one hand, and drawn swords in the other, and then passed 
between them to the companion way. After the ordinary inquiries, 
of whence we came, whither bound, and the object of our visit, he 
called to the officer of the escort, and desired him to take a minute 
of the articles we required. With these he said that he would supply 
us the next day ; on receiving which, he should expect we would not 
delav a moment in leaving the port. He counted our men, and, 
perceiving us to be only fifteen, all told, expressed astonishment at 
the presumption of undertaking so long and dangerous a navigation 
with so few men. He forbade our going to the town, which is distant 
about three miles, but gave us leave to go on shore in the neighborhood 
of the vessel. He took leave with characteristic pomp, leaving on 
board five of his escort, as he said, to see that we carried on no con- 
traband trade. 

In the afternoon we made an excursion on shore ; and, having 
rambled towards the battery, which commands the entry of the port, 
without meeting with any person to prevent our entering it, we availed 
ourselves of the opportunity to ascertain its strength and state. We 
found eight brass nine-pounders, mounted on carriages, which 
appeared to be in good order, and a plentiful supply of ball ; but there 
was no appearance of their having been used for a long time. As 
the examination of a battery belonging to a people the most jealous 
and suspicious on earth, was a delicate business, we did not remain 
lono- within its precincts, and, having had an agreeable excursion, 
returned on board at sunset. In the evening we made acquaintance 
with our guard, the sergeant of which appeared to be an intelligent 
young man. He informed us, that, only a few days past, the ship 



196 SECOND VOYAGE. 

Alexander, of Boston, Captain Brown, had been there ; that he had 
succeeded in purchasing from the soldiers and people several hundred 
skins ; that information of it had been given to the Commandant, who 
without first demanding their surrender, boarded the ship with an 
armed force, made a search, and took away all the skins they could 
find, together with some merchandise. These skins, he said, were now 
in possession of the Commandant, which, with what he had of his 
own, probably exceeded a thousand. These, we made every effort 
to obtain from him ; and, though there is no doubt that he would have 
been as well pleased to sell, as we should have been to purchase them, 
if the transaction had been practicable without being known to the 
people, yet, as this was out of the question, and they were all spies 
on each other, he dared not indulge his desire of selling them to us. 
Had Brown negotiated with the Commandant first, it is most probable 
he would have obtained the whole quantity, and, at the same time, 
have avoided the humiliating predicament of having his ship taken 
possession of by the rabble. 

It was evident now, that the object for which we came here was 
unattainable. Having, on the 21st of March, received the supplies 
we had asked, the Commandant again visited us, in the same pompous 
style, to receive his pay. On leaving us he made known his expecta- 
tion, that we would leave the port next morning, wished us a pleasant 
voyage, and we parted on the most friendly terms. We had been 
offered a number of skins, in small parcels, in the course of the day, 
to be delivered to us after dark, and determined to purchase as many 
as we could that night. Accordingly, between eight and nine o'clock, 
(the time agreed on,) both boals were despatched to different parts of 
the harbor, one of which returned in proper time with several skins : 
but the other, in which was the mate and two men, did not return 
that night. That some disaster had occurred to prevent her return, 
was presumable, but to attempt ascertaining the cause, in the night, 
would have been incurring too great a risk. We watched the approach 
of morning, with a view to seize and act upon any contingency that 
circumstances might present, before the moving of the people. 

The first discovery after dawn, was that of our boat, lying on the 
beach, abreast of our vessel, with, apparently, no person in her. On 
seeing this, I went immediately to the boat, and, when there, perceived 



CAPTURE OF OUR MEN. 197 

a group of men at a short distance, among whom ours were discernible. 
Being without arms, an attempt to rescue them would have been 
imprudent. I therefore returned on board, taking with me the other 
boat. It was now very evident, that not a moment was to be lost in 
deciding on the course to be pursued. The choice presented us was 
that of submission, indignant treatment, and plunder ; or resistance 
and hazarding the consequences. There was not the least hesitation 
with Mr. Shaler or myself in adopting the latter alternative. As a 
preliminary step, the guard on board were disarmed, and made to go 
below ; then I went with four men, each with a brace of loaded pistols, 
to the rescue of those on shore. On landing, we ran up to the guard 
and, presenting our pistols, ordered them instantly to release our men 
from their ligatures ; for they had beea tied hand and foot, and had 
been lying on the ground all night. This order was readily complied 
with by the three soldiers, who had been guarding them ; and, to 
prevent mischief, we took away their arms, dipped them in the water, 
and left them on the beach. The mate reported, that they were 
arrested immediately on landing, by a party of horse, with the Com- 
mandant in person at their head ; whence we concluded, that he had 
sent the soldier, with whom we made the agreement for the skins, 
expressly to decoy us, that he might have an apology to plunder us. 

Arriving safely on board, we perceived our men to be so indignant 
at the treatment of their shipmates, as to be ready for the fight, even 
had the odds been greater against us. We had, however, a disagree- 
able and very hazardous task to perform ; a failure in which would 
be attended with ruin to us, besides subjecting us to the humiliating 
treatment of an incensed petty tyrant. Our position, at anchor, was 
about a mile within the fort, of which mention has been made. It 
was necessary to pass within musket-shot of this fort. With a strong 
wind, the quick passage of the vessel would render the danger trifling ; 
but, unfortunately, we had now but the last expiring breath of the 
land breeze, sufficient only to give the ship steerage way, and an hour 
would elapse before we could presume on passing the fort ; but no 
other alternative was left us, that did not present a more dreaded 
aspect. 

While making our preparations, we perceived that all was bustle 
and animation on shore ; both horse and foot were flocking to the fort. 
17* 



198 SECOND VOYAGE. 

Our six three-pounders, which were all brought on the side of the 
ship bearing on the fort, and our fifteen men was all our force, with 
which to resist a battery of three nine pounders, and, at least an hundred 
men. As soon as our sails were loosed and we began to heave up 
the anchor, a gun without shot was discharged from the battery and 
the Spanish flag hoisted ; perceiving no effect from this, they fired a 
shot ahead. By this time our anchor was up, all sail was set, and we 
were gradually approaching the fort. In the hope of preventing their 
firing,°we caused the guard in their uniforms to stand along in the 
most'' exposed and conspicuous station ; but it had no effect, not even 
when so near the fort, that they must have been heard imploring them 
to desist firing, and seen to fall with their faces to the deck, at every 
renewed discharge of the cannon. We had been subjected to a can- 
nonade of three quarters of an hour, without returning a shot, and, 
fortunately, with injury only to our rigging and sails. When arrived 
abreast the fort, several shot struck our hull, one between wind and 
water, which was temporarily stopped by a wad of oakum. We now 
opened our fire, and, at the first broadside, saw numbers, probably of 
those who came to see the fun, scampering away up the hill at the 
hack of the fort. Our second broadside seemed to have caused the 
complete abandonment of their guns, as none were fired afterwards ; 
nor could we see any person in the fort, excepting a soldier who stood 
upon the ramparts, waving his hat, as if to desire us to desist firing. 

Having passed out of the reach of their cannon, the poor guards, 
who had been left on board, saw themselves completely in our power, 
without the chance of rescue, and probably calculated on such treat- 
ment as they knew would have been our lot, if equally in the power 
of their Commandant. Their exhibition of fear was really ludicrous, 
for, while we were tying up their fire-arms, so as to prevent their 
using them, and getting the boat ready to send them harmlessly on 
shore, they were all the time tremblingly imploring for mercy ; nor 
could they be made to believe, until they were actually on shore, that 
we intended to do them no harm. When landed, and their arms 
handed to them, they embraced each other, crossed themselves, and 
fell on their knees in prayer. As our boat was leaving them, they 
rose up and oried at the utmost stretch of their voices, « Vivan,vivan 
los Americanos V 



VISIT OF THE PADRES. 199 

Having plugged up the hole made by the shot, near the water, we 
steered southward for the bay of St. Quintin's, and arrived there on 
the 24th instant. Here we fell in with Captain Brown, in the ship 
Alexander, who gave us a detail of the rough manner in which he 
had been treated by the Commandant of San Diego, which confirmed 
us in the propriety of the measures we had pursued to avoid a similar 
treatment. Captain Brown left us on the 5th of April, bound to the 
Northwest Coast. This was the only American ship we had seen 
since leaving Valparaiso, and the meeting was very agreeable to both 
parties; indeed, a countryman abroad is hailed like an old acquaint- 
ance, and there is always a consciousness of belonging to the same 
home, which makes such meeting pleasant in any part of the world, 
and is particularly felt when, as in this instance, we had escaped 
similar dangers, and were among a people remarkable for treachery 
and hostility to strangers. We therefore viewed his departure with 
feelings somewhat allied to that of taking leave of an old friend. 

A few days after arriving here, we were visited by the Padres of 
the missions of San Vincente, San Domingo, San Rosario, and San 
Fernando, who came on horses, with a retinue of Indian domestics, 
making quite a formidable train. The Commandante of San Vin° 
cente, a mission about sixty miles north of this port, accompanied the 
Padre of that mission, and they formed together a jolly set of fellows. 
Their object seemed to be principally recreation, though they brought 
a few sea otters' skins, which they bartered with us for European 
manufactures. They pitched their tents on the beach abreast the 
vessel, and having provided themselves with an abundant supply of 
provisions and the requisite cooking utensils, they became quite 
domiciliated. Never was there an equal number of men more dis- 
posed to promote harmony and good fellowship, and we dined together 
alternately on shore and on board, during the week that they remained 
with us. 

As, for several days after their arrival, they did not mention the 
affair of San Diego, we supposed they might not have heard of it ; 
yet, as San Vincente was so near, it would be strange if the news of 
an event so novel and extraordinary should not have reached them. 
After the acquaintance had been promoted, however, by a few days 
of such familiar intercourse, we were asked, by the eldest of the 



SOO SECOND VOYAGE. 

Padres, if we had not been to San Diego ? With the peculiarity 
attributed to New Englanders, our answer was evasive, and the ques- 
tion put " Why ? " He then told us of an American who had been 
there since Brown, and related our transactions so precisely as they 
occurred, that we acknowledged ourselves to have been the actors. 
He said that the account of the affair was transmitted in a letter from 
the corporal, who commanded in the battery, to his senior officer at 
Loretto, and that the letter was left unsealed, that it might be read at 
the several missions on its way, and to be sealed at the last mission 
before arriving at Loretto. While the corporal, in his letter, was 
severe in his strictures on the conduct of the Commandant, in first 
enticing us into this difficulty, and then taking care not to enter the 
fort until he ascertained that we were out of reach of cannon 
shot, he was profuse in his eulogies of us. Our forbearance so long 
before returning their fire, our humanity and generosity to the guards, 
under such provocation, and our ceasing to fire when they did, 
were considered by the corporal as acts of magnanimity, which 
should recommend us to the kindness and hospitality of all good 
Spaniards. 

The Padres had been friendly before this acknowledgment, but they 
seemed afterwards to vie with each other, who should show us the 
greatest kindness, offering to procure us supplies in any quantity, and 
assuring us of meeting a hospitable reception at any of the missions 
we might visit in California. As they did not suppose, on leaving 
home, that we should be induced to remain long in a desert port, they 
had provided themselves with provisions for a week only ; at the 
expiration of which, they left us, with a promise to return again in a 
fortnight, with a supply of such stores for ourselves, as we had given 
them a list of. Having, with ill-judged economy, coppered our vessel 
only to light-water mark, we perceived that the worm had already 
made dreadful ravages in our wooden sheathing, and that it was 
necessary to lay lier ashore to cleanse and boot-top the bottom. The 
port being well adapted to such purpose, it was accomplished without 
difficulty. In the performance of this business, of repairing the injury 
sustained in our sails and rigging by the cannon shot, in the recreation 
of fishing and fowding, and in taking a plan of the port, the time was 
filled up until the fortnight agreed on had elapsed, when the Padres, 



PADRES. 



201 



true to the engagement, again made their appearance, with the stores 
required. 

Akhough there was nothing now to cause us another day's detention, 
yet the Padres were so urgent for our remaining another week, 
alleging that they had brought provision with that expectation, that we 
could not resist their importunate persuasions. They were now 
desirous of being acquainted with some particulars of our affair at 
San Diego, which could be obtained only from us, such as to be 
showed the men who were captured and tied on shore ; those who 
rescued them ; if there was any attempt at resistance ; the several 
places the shot had struck, &c. &c. We were very happy to be 
informed by them, that no person was even hurt by our shot. These 
good Padres, though very amiable, were very ignorant on all subjects, 
excepting that of their profession, and so intolerant and bigoted, as 
frequently to express astonishment, that men so humane and intelli- 
gent should be blind to the truth and beauty of Catholicism. In 
remarking, however, on the apparent amiability of these people, I 
ought to except the Padre of San Vincente, who, it must be acknowl- 
edged, had no just pretensions to such character, after boasting, as he 
did, that he had rendered God service by killing many of the Indians 
who obstinately refused to be converted. They expressed great disgust 
with the character and conduct of Don Manuel Rodriguez, called him 
a poltroon, and said he would be broken ; not so much for having 
fired on a ship of friendly power, as for undertaking what he was 
unable to accomplish, thereby exposing the weakness of the place, 
and subjecting the royal flag to insult. It is, indeed, doubtful whether 
the eclat caused in Europe by the battle of Copenhagen, was greater 
than that of the battle of San Diego, in California. 

The week we had engaged to pass with the Padres having expired 
on the 3d of May, we then, with reciprocal friendly salutations, and 
cordial interchange of good wishes for prosperity and happiness, bade 
them farewell, and put to sea, bound to the Isle of Guadaloupe, in 
the hope of there obtaining a supply of water, for that which we 
found at St. Quintin's was of an inferior quality, and was only 
obtained by digging a well. The want of this, and equally of wood, 
lessens much the value of this port. It is remarkable, considering 
the length of time the Spaniards have possessed this country, and the 



202 SECOND VOYAGE. 

accuracy and ability with which their navigators generally have sur- 
veyed their possessions on this coast, that they are yet ignorant of 
this excellent harbor. It was discovered about the year 1800, b)^ 
Captain O'Kain, of Boston. The entrance to it is so narrow and 
obscure, that had not Brown been here to direct us, it is doubtful if 
we had found it ; yet we carried in not less than three fathoms, and 
anchored in four, in one of the safest harbors in the world. It is also 
very capacious, and abounding in the sea otter, of which, though very 
shy, we shot several. The shore, at short distances from the beach, 
is greatly infested with rattlesnakes. 

Arriving at the Island of Guadaloupe on the 4th, the whole of the 
next day was passed in seeking for water on the lee side of the island, 
presuming from its height, that there was no doubt of success, but 
we were disappointed. There were various gullies, indicating abun- 
dance at certain seasons, which were now perfectly dry. Steering 
again to the eastward, we entered a small bay on that part of the 
coast, which is nearest the mission of San Borgia, and came to anchor. 
The next day we were visited by the Father of that mission, Mariano 
Apolonario, who had been expecting us some days, and had kept an 
Indian on the look-out for us, that he might be advised immediately 
on our arrival. Having received notice of our approach from the 
Indian, the day before our arrival, he had set out, though uncertain if 
we had anchored. As his mission was sixty miles from the seacoast, 
and he was accompanied by twenty domestics, with provisions and 
baggage laden on twenty-five horses and mules, he would have been 
greatly disappointed had we passed without anchoring, and therefore 
was gratified at a meeting which he seemed to have counted much 
upon. 

We made the best arrangement in our power for the accommoda- 
tion of the Padre and his domestics ; but, after passing one night on 
board, he experienced such inconvenience from the motion of the 
ship, as to make it desirable to provide some shelter for him on shore. 
Accordingly, in the morning a sail was taken on shore, with which 
our men made a large and commodious tent. Here our days were 
principally passed in conversation with the Padre, interrupted only by 
occasional rambles over the sand-hills, for exercise. Amongst the 
domestics of the Padre was that very useful and important appendage 



PADRE MAEIANO. 203 

of a missionary, a very good cook ; and, as he was provided with 
plenty of venison and poultry, whereon to exercise his skill, we per- 
ceived it to be as much for our advantage as it was gratifying to the 
Padre, that we should dine with him every day. On these occasions 
we had neither plates nor dishes, knives nor forks ; nor were they 
requisite, as the food was served up in a large wooden bowl, into 
which each in turn dipped his spoon, in true primitive style. A due 
degree of exercise in a fine bracing atmosphere, however, previous 
to taking these homely repasts, gave to them a relish which is not often 
experienced at the most luxurious and elegant tables. 

Perceiving that water was not procurable in this vicinity, having 
but a short supply on board, and uncertain where it was to be obtained, 
there was obviously a necessity of cutting short our visit at this sta- 
tion. As soon as the Padre was made acquainted with it, he applied 
a remedy, by engaging to supply us with our daily consumption of 
water, although he had to send six miles for it, and this he did daily 
until our departure, besides providing abundance of fresh provisions 
for the ship's company. 

The more intimately we became acquainted with Padre Mariano, 
the more we were convinced that his was a character to love and 
respect. He appeared to be one of that rare class, who, for piety and 
the love of their fellow-men, might justly rank with a Fenelon or a 
Cheverus. His countenance beaming with the love and benevolence 
which were his prevailing motives of action, inspired imm.ediate and 
perfect confidence, even with those who had seen as much of the 
Spanish character as it had been our lot to do. His mild and humane 
treatment of his domestics made their intercourse more like that of 
father and children, than of master and servants. His regular observ- 
ance, morning, noon, and evening, of his devotional duties, with his 
uncouth looking domestics assembled round him, and on bended knee, 
and with the utmost decorum, participating in his prayers to the throne 
of grace, was affecting, and might be received as a tacit reproach for 
indifference to such duties, by that part of his audience, whom his 
brethren would denominate heretics. But this good man was gifted 
with a mind too liberal and noble, and a benevolence too extensive and 
pure to pronounce condemnation for difference of opinions, or to believe 
in the monopoly of truth and goodness in any one sect of Christians. 



204 SECOND VOYAGE. 

Our visit here had been protracted much beyond our intentions, by 
the persuasions of the Padre, and the promise of two horses, which 
we had unsuccessfully endeavored to procure at the other missions, as 
a present to the King of the Sandwich Islands. These arrived at the 
encampment on the 19th, a male and a female, and were presented to 
us by the Padre. In return for these, and a flagon of wine and some 
dried fruits, we gave him such manufactures as he desired, to more 
than their value. The next day we took the horses on board, and 
made preparation for our departure. As it was then late in the after- 
noon, and we could not consent to deprive the good Padre of his tent 
for the night, we remained on this account. 

Early on the following morning, we went on shore and spent an 
hour with the Padre, while our men were engaged in striking the 
tent, and taking away the sail which had formed it. He expressed to 
us the great satisfaction he had experienced in our society, and regret- 
ted we could not pass another week with him, adding that our visit 
formed an epoch in his life ; that at his mission he lived like a hermit, 
with no associates, except the rude Indian, and repeated that a visit 
like ours was " a God-send." On taking leave, he assured us that we 
should always be remembered in his prayers, and accompanying us to 
the boat, repeated and vociferated his a Dios, until we were too dis- 
tant to hear him more. With our glass, we perceived him to be 
waiting, after we had arrived on board ; and he did not move off with 
his retinue until we had weighed anchor. 

At 10 o'clock, A. M. we weighed anchor and made all sail to the 
southward, and in the evening perceived that we had steered too near 
the coast, being embayed to the northward of the Morro Hermoso, 
and were obliged to make a tack out of our course. The next day 
we passed between the Island Natividad and the Morro Hermoso ; 
and steering to the southeast with a fine northwest wind, were up with 
and near Cape St. Lucas, in the evening of the 25th instant. Early 
the following morning, we came to anchor in the bay of St. Joseph, 
at the southern extremity of the peninsula, and near the mission of 
that name. A beautiful clear run of water, which emptied into the 
bay, and of sufficient depth to admit our boat, gave us great facility 
in filling up our water-casks. The Padres had no scruple in supply- 
ing us with such provisions, vegetables, and fruits, as the place 



LEAVE FOR THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 205 

afforded, and were equally ready to trade with us to the extent of 
their means, which were rather limited. In addition to a supply of 
stores, we purchased of them pearls to the am.ount of two thousand 
dollars, and also a mare with foal. Having with much difficulty taken 
the latter on board, on the 28th of May, we sailed immediately for the 
Sandwich Islands. 
18 



CHAPTER XVL 



Observations on leaving the Coast— California — Sandwich Islands — Visit of the 
King — Land the Horses — Present them to the King — His Estimation of them — 
Visit Derby's Grave — Leave the Islands — Sketch of Tamaamaah — Attempt at 
his Conversion — A Practice of the Natives — An Evidence of their Gallantry — 
Instances of Atrocious Conduct of Americans — Island of Guam — A Visit from 
the Governor's Lady — Sketch of the Island — A Storm — Arrival at Canton — 
Dispose of one half the Ship — Mr. Shaler returns to California, and I embark ia 
the Alert for Boston. 




f^lB relief and freedom from care, experienced by 
being once more beyond the reach of a power 
whose most dreaded arms are deceit, dissimulation, 
and treachery, are more easily imagined than 
described. Fifteen months had elapsed since our 
arrival at Valparaiso, and it will be seen, that in 
each of the three ports which we had entered, a 
state of hostility had existed between the government and 
ourselves, which was probably always the more rancor- 
ous for the decided part the people took in our favor. 
A circumstance which we knew to be owing less to their 
affection for us, than to their deadly hatred to the officers of 
government. For these were natives of Old Spain, and 
everywhere on this coast had disgusted the Creoles, by their 
arrogant and overbearing manner of treating them. No 
inconsiderable drawback, however, upon our enjoyment of this repose, 
was the reflection, that we had yet on board, nearly one half of our 
European cargo, which could not be disposed of at Canton, unless 
there should chance to be a vessel fitting out from thence to the Span- 
ish coast, of which there was not much probability. From the profit 
there was no doubt of our making on the sea otters' skins, however, 
there was scarcely any chance of experiencing a loss on the whole 



COAST OF CALIFORNIA. 207 

adventure ; and we derived consolation from the reflection, that no 
efforts had been wanting, on our part, to produce a better result. 

We had coasted along the western shore of California, for the most 
part within a distance of three leagues, and often much nearer, from 
San Diego to Cape San Lucas ; and, during the whole course, had 
seen nothing but a continued range of barren sand-hills, with occa- 
sional clumps of bushes of apparently stinted growth. This barren 
coast has nothing to recommend it as the habitation of man; no har- 
bor, no M^ater, no soil adapted to cultivation. Hence, there are no 
missionary establishments near the shore. At a distance of about 
thirty miles in the interior, the country is said to present a very differ- 
ent aspect; and the cheapness of cattle, the abundance of horses 
and sheep, together with the apparently well-fed condition of the 
Padres, would seem to justify the report. Indeed, having had ample 
scope to choose, the Padres would not have evinced their usual 
sagacity, if they had failed to select the most fertile portions of the 
country for the establishment of their missions. 

The only game we saw on this coast was deer, which were numer- 
ous, but always so shy as not to admit our coming within musket-shot 
of them. What we were unable to effect with the musket, the Indians 
succeeded in doing by stratagem. Covered with the skin of a deer, 
and walking on all-fours, they would get so near to the drove, before 
discovered, as usually to kill or maim one with the bow and arrow. 
The invention, which is caused by necessity, is exhibited here, in their 
means of conveyance on the water. Having no wood, they make 
their canoes, or, as they are called, holsas, of flags, sufficiently buoy- 
ant to carry one person ; and on this the Indian will not only come 
off to ships which are distant, but ride over the surf which is break- 
ing on the shore, at a time when it could not be done by a whaleboat. 
The mission of St. Joseph's is a desirable place to procure water and 
refreshments ; but there is no other place, where these can be obtained, 
between this mission and the Presidio of San Diego. 

Leaving the mission of San Joseph's on the 28th of May, 1803, we 
experienced undeviating fine weather, fair winds, and smooth sea, on 
our passage to the Sandwich Islands, and on the 19th of June, 1803, 
got sight of Owhyhee, its summit towering above the clouds. We 
passed KohoUo Point whh a strong breeze ; and, presuming the king 



208 SECOND VOYAGE. 

to be at Karakakoa Bay, we proceeded directly thither ; and, arriv- 
ing on the 21st, in the morning, we layby and fired a gun. Not a 
canoe, however, nor a person, was seen moving. The silence and 
inactivity which prevailed, formed a perfect contrast to all my former 
experience at these islands. At length, after lying by more than an 
hour, two persons were discovered swimming off to us. On arriving 
on board, one of them spoke sufficient English to make us under- 
stand, that there existed a Taboo ; and moreover, that the king and 
principal men were at Mowee. They piloted us to the best anchor- 
age, passing over the coral bank ; and we anchored on a sandy 
bottom, in sixteen fathoms. 

The next day, John Young, who had seen us pass his residence, at 
Tooayah Bay, made us a visit, presuming we should anchor here. 
He told us, that the Taboo was a periodical one. When he first 
became an inhabitant of the island, it was of ten days' duration ; but of 
late years, had been reduced , and was now limited to three. We intended 
to remain here no longer than was requisite to supply ourselves with 
a few refreshments, which Young undertook to procure for us. We 
improved the time, therefore, by a ramble on shore. Among other 
places, we visited that Moral, where, in defiance of the prejudices 
of the natives. Captain Cook caused his observatory to be erected ; a 
desecration, which was the origin of the quarrel that terminated his 
existence. There are yet standing, near the Moral, several cocoa- 
nut trees, which are perforated with the balls fired from his cannon 
on that occasion. 

We left Karakakoa Bay on the 23d, and the next morning anchored 
in Tooayah Bay, for the purpose of landing the mare with foal, for 
which Young was very urgent ; professing to have a knowledge of the 
treatment of horses, and promising to take all possible care of the 
animal. Jn the expectation, that the chance of their Increase would 
be Jaetter secured, by placing the horses In the care of different per- 
sons, we acceded to his request, and landed the mare In safety near 
his place. This was the first horse that ever trod the soil of Ovvhyhee, 
and caused, among the natives. Incessant exclamations of astonish- 
ment. Leaving this bay the same evening, we steered for Mowee ; 
off which Island we lay becalmed a part of the next da3^ When the 
breeze sprang up, though at a long distance from the village of La- 



VISITED BY THE KING. 209 

hina, we were boarded by Isaac Davis the European, who, with John 
Young, was captured many years since, in Captain MetcalPs vessel. 
Soon after, a double canoe was seen coming towards us ; and on 
arrival alongside, a large athletic man, nearly naked, jumped on board, 
who was introduced, by Davis, as Tamaahmaah, the great King. 

Desirous of conciliating the good opinion of a person whose power was 
so great, we omiUed no attention which we supposed would be agree- 
able to him. But whether he had left some duty unperformed on 
shore, or whether he had met with something to disturb his serenity 
of mind, we know not ; certain it was, that he did not reciprocate our 
civilities. He appeared to be absent ; and, after walking round the 
deck of the vessel, and taking only a very careless look of the horses, 
he got into his canoe, and went on shore. Davis remained on board 
all night, tQ pilot us to the best anchorage, which we gained early the 
following morning, and, soon after, had our decks crowded with 
visiters to see the horses. The people showed none of that indifference 
on seeing them, which had been manifested by the King, and which I 
believe to have been affectation, but on the contrary, expressed such 
wonder and admiration, as were very natural on beholding, for the first 
time, this noble animal. The horses were landed safely, and in perfect 
health, the same day, and gave evidence, by their gambols, of their 
satisfaction at being again on terra Jirma. They were then presented 
to the King, who was told, that one had been also left at Owhyhee for 
him. He expressed his thanks, but did not seem to comprehend their 
Value. 

While the crowd were apparently wondering v/hat use they could 
be put to, a sailor from our ship jumped upon the back of one and 
galloped off amid the shouts of the natives, who with alacrity, opened 
a way to let him pass. There existed strong apprehensions in the 
minds of all for the safety of the man ; but when, by going back and 
forth, they perceived the docility of the animal, his subjection and his 
fleetness, they seemed to form some little conception of his utility. 
The King was among the number, who witnessed the temerity of the 
sailor ; but with all his sagacity for which he has been justly praised, 
remarked, that he could not perceive that the ability to transport a 
person from one place to another, in less time than he could run, would 
be adequate compensation for the food he would consume and the 
18* 



210 SECOND VOYAGE. 

care he would require. As a dray or a dragoon's horse, there was 
no prospect of his being wanted, and hence our present was not very 
highly appreciated. In this we were much disappointed, but hoped, 
nevertheless, that the king would be influenced by our advice to have 
them well taken care of ; that they would increase, and eventually 
that their value would be justly estimated. 

Our supplies were received from the King ; for all which we paid 
the full price, and though he offered us a small present as an offset 
for the horses, we declined its acceptance. Being apprehensive that 
our stock of bread would not last till we reached China, we hoped, as 
a substitute, to procure a good supply of yams ; but in this expecta- 
tion we were disappointed, as they were at this time unusually scarce, 
and therefore we determined to touch at the other islands for 
this purpose. Accordingly, on the 2d of July, we left Mowee, and 
the next morning anchored in Whyteete Bay, island of Woahoo. 

While the natives were engaged in collecting our supplies, I made 
a long excursion on shore, among the beautiful rural scenery in the 
neighborhood of the bay. In a retired spot, clothed with verdure 
and surrounded with cocoa-nut trees, my guide pointed to the grave 
of my old friend and former shipmate, Charles Derby, who died here 
last year, on board a Boston ship, which he commanded, from the 
Northwest Coast. Charles and I had sailed many thousand leagues 
together, and, being of the same age, the probability was as great 
when we parted, that he would visit my grave as I his. 

Meeting with but partial success in procuring here a supply of 
yams, we left on the 5th, and passed the following day, lying off and 
on, near Atoui, the most western island of the group, with no better 
success ; and then bore away and made all sail to the westward. 
Atoui, at this time, was independent of the government of Tamaah- 
maah, from whom we were bearers of a message to the King, pur- 
porting, that the ambassador, which had been sent to him, together 
with one of equal rank, must be sent to Woahoo, within the space of 
one month, acknowledging him, Tamaahmaah, as his sovereign, on 
penalty of a visit with all his forces. As the King did not come on 
board and we did not land, the message was given to one of the 
European residents, who promised to convey it, but said it would be 
disregarded. 



CONVERSATION WITH THE KING. 211 

The Sandwich Islands and their distinguished King have long been 
BO familiar to the European and American reader, as to require little 
to be said about them. At the time of our acquaintance with Tamaah- 
maah, he was a perfect savage, but evidently destined by nature, both 
physically and mentally, to be a chief. His mind was of a superior 
cast ; its dictates induced the politic measure of seizing and forcibly 
keeping Young and Davis, aware of the advantages that would result 
from it, and foreseeing, that good usage and habit would reconcile 
them to their fate ; which calculations the result proved to have been 
correct. As our intercourse with these Islands increased, the danger 
of a temporary residence on shore ceased. Among others, who at 
this early period took advantage of it, was a Mr. Howell, commonly 
called Padre Howell, who soon ingratiated himself into favor with the 
King, and being struck with his superiority of intellect, conceived 
that it would not be difficult to induce him to abandon his idolatrous 
worship and substitute one of rationality. Accordingly, he lost no 
opportunity, after acquiring a sufficient knowledge of the language, 
to convince the Chief of the incapacity for good or evil of his gods, 
and of the power, and wisdom, and goodness of the Supreme Maker 
and Ruler of the Universe, whom he worshipped. The first, that of 
the impotency of the idols, was without difficulty admitted ; but the 
second, not being tangible, could not be comprehended. His mind, 
however, appeared to be dwelling on the subject, with increased atten- 
tion, after each conversation. At length, one day, while walking to- 
gether, the King unusually thoughtful, and Howell auguring favorably 
from it, the silence was broken by the King's observing, " You say 
your God is powerful, wise, good, and that he will shield from harm 
those who truly worship and adore him ? " This being assented to, 
then said the King, " Give me proof, by going and throwing yourself 
from yonder precipice, and, while falling, call on your God to shield 
vou, and if you escape unharmed,! will then embrace the worship of 
your God.'' It may be unnecessary to say, that Howell failed to give 
the desired test, and that the king remained unconverted. 

The practice of mutilation was prevalent, on the decease of a per- 
son of consequence. At this time, every one was deficient in the two 
most prominent upper front teeth, which had been knocked out, in 
conformity with the tyranny of custom, and to have failed in giving 



§12 SECONC VOYAGE, 

such evidence of loyalty, would have been impolitic and unsafe. 
Gallantry is held in no less estimation here than loyalty ; and feats 
are related to have been performed to convince the adored object of 
devotedness and attachment, which will bear comparison with those 
of the renowned days of chivalry. An instance occurred, a few 
days before our arrival, of a man swimming from the village of 
Lakina, in Mowee, to the island of Ranai, a distance of not less than 
ten miles, to convince the idolized damsel of the truth and extent of 
his passion* The effect was unknown at the period of our departure, 
but it may be presumed to have been irresistible* 

The abuse of power, in the most unprincipled and even cruel acts, 
has frequently been charged to our countrymen, while pursuing their 
avocations in these distant regions, and I am sorry to say not without 
foundation- To such conduct may reasonably be attributed the hos- 
tility of the Indians, the loss of many innocent lives, and of much 
property. Two instances in point, of recent date, were, at this time, 
the general theme of conversation among the foreigners at Mowee. 
The first, that of a Captain B— , in a schooner belonging to Phila- 
delphia, who seized some unsuspecting Chiefs on the Northwest Coast^ 
while visiting him, and released them only on being paid a ransom in 
skins, by their people. The second, that of Captain H — , of Nan- 
tucket, and Master of the schooner Nancy of Boston, engaged in the 
seal-skin business. This vessel, during the unfavorable season at 
Masafuera, went to Easter Island, where the natives came on board 
with a confidence inspired by the good treatment they had usually 
experienced from other vessels which had visited them. When on the 
point of sailing, he decoyed six of them below, closed the hatches 
over them, and went to sea. His object was to take them to Masafu- 
era, and employ them in taking and skinning seals, and aftertvardg, 
probably, to return them unharmed to their native island and friends. 
It is presumable, that they were as well treated as a regard to their 
security would admit. Be this, however, as it may, when the land 
was no longer in sight, there was supposed to be no danger of an 
attempt to escape, and consequently they were allowed to come on 
deck, when, without a moment's hesitation, they all simultaneously 
threw themselves into the sea. The boat was lowered down and every 
effort made to save them, but in vain, as, being expert swimmers. 



VISIT THE GOVERNOR. 213 

they used their greatest exertions to avoid the boat, thus evincing a 
preference of death to slavery.* 

On the 7th of July, 1803, having ascertained that we could obtain 
no supplies without losing more time than they were worth, vv^e made 
sail to the westward, with the intention of touching at the Island of 
Guam ; and came in sight of that island on the evening of the 29th. 
The next morning early, we doubled round the north end of the 
island, and came in sight of the castle, situated on a hill. Soon after, 
on opening the bay, the town of St. Ignacio de Agam was presented 
to our view, making a very pretty appearance ; the white houses con- 
trasting with the beautiful foliage of the trees, by which they were 
shaded, and the distance beyond having the appearance of a dense 
forest of the most luxurious growth. 

Mr. Shaler went on shore and visited the Governor, who treated 
him with much civility, promised to have procured for him immedi- 
ately the supplies required, and invited him to remain to dinner. As 
we intended remaining only long enough for collecting these supplies, 
or, if not procurable without delay, to be off without them, we did 
not come to anchor, but lay off and on, near the town. In the after- 
noon, Mr. Shaler returned on board, accompanied by the wife of the 
Governor, her female attendants, and three officers of the garrison. 
These guests remained with us until the boats came off with our sup- 
plies, in which they returned on shore, having expressed themselves 
much pleased with their visit, and promising to offer up petitions to 
the Virgin for our safety and happiness. On their leaving us, towards 
evening, we steered again to the westward with all sail spread. 

Guam is the southernmost of the Marian Islands ; it is but of 
nioderate height, of even surface, and is covered with trees, even to the 
water's edge. There are estimated to be between five and six thou- 
sand inhabitants, about nine tenths of whom are natives and Malays. 
The garrison consists of one hundred and thirty soldiers, and the 
annual expense to Spain is twenty thousand dollars. As no article 
of commerce is produced here, but the Beche de Mar, and even this 
only in small quantities, there seems to exist no other inducement for 



*■ This was related to me by a person who was at Masafuera when the schooner 
Nancy arrived there from Easter Island. 



214 SECOND VOYAGE. 

the maintenance of this establishment, than to prevent this group of 
islands being taken possession of by any other people. 

On the 8th of August, we had advanced about ten degrees west of 
the Marian Islands, when we had undoubted indications of approach- 
ing bad weather. And as at this season of the year, particularly, it 
is advisable to be cautious, our top-gallant yards were sent down, and 
our topsails double reefed, before night, the wind strong from south- 
west with rain. Early in the morning, the wind and sea having 
increased, we reduced our sails to a close-reefed main-topsail and 
foresail, and housed the top-gallant masts. The wind still increasing, 
compelled us to heave to under storm staysails. We had now a con- 
tinual succession of the most violent squalls, accompanied with 
torrents of rain ; these shifted every two or three hours, from west- 
southwest to north, and north-northwest, blowing in opposite directions 
with equal fury, and causing so great and irregular a sea, as to 
threaten sweeping every thing from our decks, particularly when, 
between the shifting of the winds there were a few moments of calm ; 
and when from the excessive deep and quick rolling, there was great 
cause to apprehend the loss of our masts. This weather continued 
for twelve hours, and was followed by gales from the westward and 
from the southward, with scarcely any intermission until the 16th, 
when the weather became settled from the eastward. This was a 
harder gale, and more severe weather than any we experienced off 
Cape Horn. 

In the evening of the 19th, we passed the Bashi Islands. On the 
23d, we came in sight of Piedra Blanca ; after passing which, we had 
much calm weather, which obliged us to anchor several times, and 
thus prevented us from gaining the anchorage in Macao Roads till the 
26th. A pilot was procured the next day, when we weighed anchor 
and proceeded towards the river ; but, owing to adverse winds and 
currents, we did not reach Whampoa till the 29th. The next day we 
went to Canton, and were hospitably received, and lodged at the 
factory of Captain Smith of the Semiramis, of Newport, while a 
factory which had been engaged was preparing for us. This being 
accomplished on the 1st of September, we took possession, and waited 
the result of various permits we had given to merchants, for the 
examination of the cargo. At length we accepted the proposition 



HONG MERCHANT. 215 

which appeared to be most eligible. This gave us a very handsome 
profit on the skins, which were to be paid for in teas at the current 
price ; and our intention was to lade with them for the United States. 

While making preparation to receive the teas, an American ship 
arrived from the Spanish coast with the greater part of her outward 
cargo on board. This it was found could be bought for less than first 
cost, in exchange for teas ; and as, also, a large amount of our 
European investment was still on hand, these causes combined to 
point to the propriety of making another attempt on the California 
coast. When Mr. Shaler volunteered to undertake this voyage, there 
were so many applications to be interested, that we decided to take 
an interest of only one half the vessel and cargo, and consequently 
disposed of the other half to our American friends. 

The sheathing of the ship being in a very bad state, there existed a 
necessity for its renewal, and this was a labor of no trifling magnitude 
in a place like Whampoa, where there were no conveniences for the 
purpose, and where probably an attempt of the kind was never before 
made. But we found our countrymen ready and desirous of giving 
us all the aid in their power. One whose ship was waiting cargo, 
permitted us to heave out by her, another loaned us blocks for the 
purpose, and the carpenters attached to the various ships, who could 
be spared, came to the work with alacrity for liberal pay ; so that 
the business was accomphshed in very little more time than would 
have been required for the purpose, if we had possessed the ordinary 
conveniences. There is often experienced abroad, among our fellow- 
citizens, a liberality, a generosity, a feeling of brotherhood, which 
prompts to the performance of the most noble and disinterested acts, 
and which at home are known only to family alliances. Of this 
description was our experience at this time, and the recollection of it 
has aided in ameliorating the asperity caused since, by an opposing 
experience in a repeated abuse of confidence, producing the most 
disastrous effects. 

Our former experience of the high estimation of the character of 
the Hong merchant to whom we had sold our cargo, induced us to 
place a reliance on his assurance of the good quality of four hundred 
chests of teas received from him, which we ought not to have done. 
This tea was to be recei^'ed in part payment of the cargo destined 



218 SECOND VOYAGE. 

ested in the property, equally competent to taking charge of the nau- 
tical and mercantile part of the business, and on a perfect footing of 
equality, in every thing relating to the management of the ship, as 
well as that of the cargo. But in an enterprise, involving so 
much difficulty and danger, so much to perplex and irritate, with 
so little success to cheer the spirits and promote equanimity 
of temper, — that we should be able to accomplish it without a rup- 
ture, is surprising ; how much more so, than that we never had 
an angry dispute, and parted with feelings of aifection, increased 
by the very difficulties and embarrassments we had encountered 
together. 

Having embarked my freight on board the Alert, and that ship 
being ready on the 4th of January, 1804, we dropped down the 
river, in company with the ship Hanover, Captain Barney, with whom 
an engagement was made to keep company until we were clear of 
the straits. It was soon perceived, that the Alert greatly outsailed the 
Hanover, and that our passage was much retarded by shortening sail 
for hers. We, however, arrived together, at North Island, where, 
while engaged in filling up our water-casks, numerous Malays came 
down to the Sumatra shore, to exchange their fruits and a great vari- 
ety of monkeys, for old clothes. The object, for which we touched 
at this island, being accomplished, on the 28th the anchor was again 
weighed, and the sails spread to the breeze. We passed Java Head 
the next day, came in sight of the Isle of Bourbon on the 21st of 
February, and arrived in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, on the 
10th of March, having seen nothing of the Hanover since the evening 
of leaving North Island. 

Repeated visits to the Cape of Good Hope had been productive of 
the most agreeable associations with that delightful place ; and the 
renewal of acquaintance with many good people, whose kindness 
and hospitality I had experienced in " by-gone days," caused the 
time to pass off quickly and agreeably. Such are among the 
soothing satisfactory incidents, occasionally met with by those, 
whose business is on the ocean, and which tend, if not to obviate, 
at least to lessen the tedium and monotony peculiar to the profes- 
sion. 

Having passed five days, very pleasantly, with our friends at the 



SAIL FOR BOSTON. 219 

Cape, we bade them adieu on the 15th, and sailed for Boston. Our 
passage was marked by no interruption to the fine weather and 
smooth sea peculiar to the tract of ocean, comprised, between the 
Cape of Good Hope and the latitude of Bermuda. Yet sailing for so 
long a time, with fair and gentle breezes, without even one such 
little exciting incident, as the gale which requires the topsails to 
be reefed, becomes tiresome by its monotony ; and something like 
it may be realized by the man who is born to fortune, reared in 
the lap of ease, and has never been acquainted with aught but 
life's smiles and sunshine. We arrived safely at Boston on the 
14th of May, 1804. Nearly eight years had elapsed since my 
departure from home ; and the period had been prolific of events 
of opposing characters, and producing corresponding emotions, 
which can be properly estimated by those only who have had similar 
experience. 

My invoice of silks arrived at a very good market, and were sold 
advantageously. Had that part of our adventure, which w^as under 
the direction of my friend Shaler, done as well, the necessity for my 
navigating again would have been obviated. But a scene of disasters 
attended him, which resulted in nearly a total loss of the property 
under his charge. As this is a part of the Lelia Byrd's voyage, 
so intimately connected with that already narrated, as to form, in 
fact, part of a whole, I have considered it proper to give the outlines 
of it, though it be only from memory. 

A few days after my departure from Canton, Mr. Shaler sailed 
from thence, bound to the coast of California, where he arrived with- 
out accident. He had been on that coast but a few weeks, and had 
disposed of but a small amount of cargo, when, unfortunately, the 
ship struck on a shoal, and beat so heavily, before getting off, as to 
cause her to leak alarmingly. His situation was now one of great 
embarrassment. To have sought relief in any of the neighboring 
ports, after such notoriety, would have been subjecting the vessel and 
cargo to seizure ; to have attempted to reach the Sandwich Islands, 
while they could hardly keep the ship afloat in smooth water, would 
have been highly imprudent. There seemed, then, to be no other 
alternative, than to go to one of the desert islands in the neighbor- 
hood, land the cargo, and heave the ship out, or lay her on shore. 



220 SECOND VOYAGE. 

They succeeded in arriving at one of the group, among which is St. 
Clement's. Here they found a snug harbor, which offered scarcely 
any other advajjtage than its solitude, and its shield from the effects 
of sea and wind. The tide did not ebb sufficiently to enable them to 
come to the leaks by laying her on shore ; and in attempting to heave 
her keel out she filled and sank. Fortunately, the water was so shoal 
as not to cover the deck ; and she was again pumped dry. It was 
now evident, that they could not make such repairs as would allow 
them to prosecute the voyage ; and to stop the leaks sufficiently, to 
enable them to reach the Sandwich Islands, seemed to be the only 
way to avoid the total loss of the property. The repairs they were 
able to make, were done in so imperfect a manner, as would have 
made it unjustifiable to attempt any other passage, than one where they 
might presume on good weather and a fair wind all the way, like the 
one contemplated. With these advantages, however, it was not without 
incessant labor at the pumps, that they were able to reach the Sandwich 
Islands. 

An attempt to repair the ship, with the very inadequate means 
which were available here, was discouraging, from the great length 
of time it would require. No foreign vessel was procurable, to 
return to the coast with the cargo. To freight a ship with it to China, 
would have been easy ; but then it would be transporting it to where 
the loss on a re-sale would be very heavy. In this dilemma, it was 
decided, as a choice of difficulties, to barter with Tamaahmaah the 
Lelia Byrd for a little vessel of thirty or forty tons, which had been 
built on the island. This was a negotiation of greater magnitude 
than the King had ever before participated in ; and the importance of 
which was sensibly felt by him. To place a cargo of such value, 
and composed of such a variety of articles, so tempting to the sav- 
age, in detail, and of such inestimable value, in the aggregate, in the 
power of this barbarian, relying entirely on his honor for its restora- 
tion, could be justified only by the pressing necessity which existed. 
The confidence placed in this Chief, though reluctantly, was proved 
by the event to have been well merited. The cargo was receiv- 
ed into his store, and when the schooner was ready it was all 
faithfully and honorably delivered to the person appointed to 
receive it. 



SERIES OF LOSSES. 221 

To the schooner was given the name of the Queen, Tamana, and 
Mr. John T. Hudson, a young man who had been attached to the ship 
since leaving Valparaiso, was intrusted with the charge of the voyage. 
The difficulties of such an enterprise in a suitable vessel have been 
already narrated ; these were greatly increased by the small size of 
the Tamana and the consequent feebleness of the crew. Persever- 
ance and industry, however, on the part of Mr. Hudson, appear not to 
have been wanting ; but prudence forbade his entering a port of 
strength ; and the sales to be made among the missions and in barter 
with the Indians were of small amount. Nor did he meet with any 
success in collecting from the missionaries any part of the sums due 
from them for goods, with which Mr. Shaler had credited them, 
though the hope of recovering these had been a considerable induce- 
ment in expediting this vessel. After visiting most of the missions in 
California, and navigating its coast from one extremity to the other, 
during a period of between five and six months, without effecting any 
sales of importance, his patience as well as that of his crew being 
exhausted, and his provisions running short, he returned in safety to 
the Sandwich Islands. Here he disposed of the Tamana, took pas- 
sage to China, and thence to the United States, with but a small sum 
left for the owners, after paying all the disbursements. Mr. Shaler 
had preceded him, one year, to the United States, and waited there 
his arrival. The tragical end of Mr. Hudson, at Providence, soon 
after his arrival, prevented for ever the desired meeting. The Lelia 
Byrd was repaired by the King, and made two or three voyages to 
China, with sandal-wood. At length, worn out, and after being for a 
time a receiving ship for opium, she was broken up or sunk at 
Whampoa. 

Something ought to be said, if not to justify, at least to extenuate, 
the undertaking and prosecuting an enterprise, for the success of 
which, violence and stratagem were requisite. It is notorious, that 
no civilized people on the face of the earth were ever subjected to so 
degrading a state of vassalage as the Creoles, or native inhabitants of 
Spanish America. It is equally notorious, that they were sensible of 
it and were grateful to those strangers, who supplied them with cloth- 
ing at half the ordinary prices demanded by their own merchants, who 
sympathized with them and made known to them the course, which 
19* 



222 SECOND VOYAGE* 

iheir countrymen had taken, in precisely similar circumstances, to 
achieve their independence. As it respected our intercourse with 
this people, viewed separately from the government, it was precisely 
in conformity with the golden rule of " doing unto others as in hke 
circumstances we would have others do unto us." Hence we lost no 
opportunity of confirming the advocates of free government, and con- 
vincing the wavering of the self-evident proposition, that governments 
were instituted for the happiness of the people, and not, exclusively, 
for that of the rulers ; that all power of right belongs to and emanates 
from the people, whose servants the rulers are. Consequently, when 
by force, stratagem, or any other manner, this relation between people 
and rulers had become reversed, it was a palpable usurpation on the 
part of the latter, which it was proper and becoming to resist under 
any circumstances, and more especially when the usurped power was 
used to oppress and enslave. 

To give lessons to this people, however, on the relations of gover- 
nors and governed, or to aid them in the means of emancipation 
from the degradation, to a sense of which they were beginning to wake 
up, was not the object of our voyage ; nor did we anticipate the diiR- 
culties we experienced. We had ascertained, that, for several years 
previous to the peace of Amiens, the Spanish colonies had become so 
destitute of the manufactures of Europe, that the rigor of the gov- 
ernment to prevent their entry was very much mitigated. And it 
was the expectation of a continuation of this policy, and which the 
peace of Amiens put an end to, that made the prospect flattering, and 
induced us to undertake the voyage. When once embarked in it, 
there remained to us the choice, only, to retreat and submit to great 
loss, or to pursue the hazardous course narrated, and take our chance 
for the result. That result will be perceived, by the preceding narra- 
tive, to have been in no degree commensurate with the hazard, toil, 
and anxiety we encountered. 

As a testimony of undeviating fidelity, it is only a just tribute to 
the memory of George, the black man, to say, that, throughout this 
long and troublesome voyage, he performed the part of a faithful 
ship-steward ; that there was none so entirely to be depended on in 
such an emergency as that at San Diego, and that his services were 
duly appreciated. His habits were expensive, and, notwithstanding 



DEATH Ot GEOEGE. 223 

the years he had been on constant pay and high wages with me, I 
never could persuade him to lay by any thing. He accompanied me 
from China to Boston in the Alert,, remained with me as a domestic 
about a year after, and then died at Roxbury, and is buried in the 
Roxbury cemetery. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Cause of again Voyaging — Destination — Suspicion of the Quakers — Sail from 
New York — A Gale — Disnaasted — Arrive at Kio Janeiro — The Visit — AUowed 
Forty-five Days to repair — Eig the Vessel as a Brig — Obstacles to Changing the 
Voyage— Obviated— Dispose of the Cargo — 'Buy a Ship and Cargo of Beef — 
Despatch the Aspasia by the Mate— Go to St. Catharine's in the Ship — Descrip- 
tion— Sail for Havana — Boarded twice — Cochrane's Fleet — Boarding Officer 
• — A Contrast to his Commander — Ordered for Tortola— Taken Possession of by 
the Cerbenis Frigate. 




^^f^1BM^(3, in my enterprises, a spirit of 
adventure united with that of acquisition, had 
been the motive of action ; but henceforth the 
latter was to act alone. 

The voyage in the Lelia Byrd, under the exclu- 
sive direction of Mr. Shaler, proved a very unfor- 
tunate one. Owing to some informality in the 
protest, we failed to recover any thing from the 
underwriters. The attempt made under the direction 
of Mr. Hudson to retrieve our affairs, by a return to 
the coast of California with that part of the cargo 
which remained unsold, in a little vessel which had 
been built at the island, and had been taken in exchange for 
the Lelia Byrd, was unsuccessful. The large amount cred- 
ited to the missionaries of California, on their simple notes, 
was a total loss. Only four of the twenty priests of the various 
missions scattered along the coast, to whom we had given credit, 
were sufficiently honest to redeem their notes. The amount which 
we had placed in charge of our friend Rouissillon, to be accounted 
for by him on his arrival in the United States, was also lost by the 
unfortunate death of that gentleman at Mexico. These combined 
losses had made such an inroad on our fortunes as to make renewed 



VOYAGE TO CHILI. 225 

exertions necessary to retrieve them. Nor were the domestic obliga- 
tions, which I had recently contracted, less influential in stimulating 
to great efforts and great self-denial, for the attainment of an object 
which had become incalculably more desirable and important to me 
in consequence. 

The common and every-day voyages to Europe, India, and China, 
which presented the prospect of only moderate profit, but with entire 
safety, were less in harmony with my inclination and habits, than those 
of a more enterprising character, which promised greater advantage, 
though with increased risk. The war succeeding the short peace of 
Amiens, had again closed the ports of the Spanish colonies to any 
commerce in their own ships ; and they must, therefore, again rely 
exclusively on foreign flags for the requisite supply of European 
manufactures. A voyage to the coasts of Chili and Peru, then pre- 
senting greater prospects of profit, in proportion to the risk, than any 
other, Mr. Shaler and myself again united our fortunes in such an 
adventure under my direction. In June, 1806, we purchased in New 
York, the Aspasia, a Baltimore clipper-built schooner of a hundred 
and seventy tons, which had been recently coppered to the wales. 
This vessel was fitted with every thing requisite for the voyage, not 
omitting a suitable armament. This last circumstance excited the 
suspicion of some of the worthy fraternity of Friends, that our des- 
tination was to Africa for slaves ; but they were quieted on my as- 
surance that I had no such intention, and moreover, that they did 
not hold this cruel traffic in greater horror and detestation than I did. 

As the late master of the Aspasia could have no motive to deceive 
me, I relied on his assurance, that the spars were perfectly sound and 
in good condition ; nor did our sad experience to the contrary induce 
the belief of any want of good faith on his part. A cargo, such as 
experience had taught us was best suited to the wants of the people 
for whom it was destined, was purchased at New York, and with the 
vessel, was owned equally by Mr. Shaler and myself, absorbing about 
the whole amount of the fortunes of each, a portion only of which 
was covered by insurance, at a very high premium. Our ship's com- 
pany was one third more than a usual complement for this vessel, 
making altogether sixteen persons. 

Being all ready for sea on the morning of the 10th of August, 1806, 



226 



THIRD VOYAGE. 



and having a fine breeze from the westward, the pilot, true to his en- 
gagement, came on board and conducted us outside of Sandy Hook. 
He then left us, to board a vessel bound in. The wind was very- 
light, and the ocean so smooth, presenting truly " the unruffled sur- 
face of a summer's sea," that it was late in the afternoon before we 
lost sight of the highlands of Neversink. 

A succession of light winds and calm weather, not unusual at this 
season of the year, rendered the first part of our passage very tedi- 
ous ; and it was not until the 10th of September, that we took the 
trade winds, being then in latitude 20"^ north, and longitude 27*^ west of 
Greenwich. But it seemed as if the long calm had been only a prelude 
to a gale in a parallel where it was entirely unexpected. During the day, 
our sails were double-reefed, the wind so far to the eastward as to bring 
the sea very much on the beam, causing much water to be shipped. 
Presuming on the swift sailing of the vessel, we had steered a course 
further to the westward in this latitude, than would have been consid- 
ered prudent in vessels of the ordinary rate of sailing ; hence it was 
particularly desirable that no spar should be carried away, and that 
no other accident should happen, which might cause the risk of fall- 
ing to leeward of Cape St. Roque. 

At sunset, as there was no diminution of the gale, and the sea had 
increased, our sail was reduced, by taking off the bonnets from the 
foresail and jib, and taking a third reef in the mainsail. Under this 
reduced sail we were making ten knots an hour. At this rate we con- 
tinued going until the middle watch had half expired, when, immedi- 
ately after the helm was relieved, a tremendous crash was heard, 
and at the same moment the foremast was seen to be falling over to 
leeward. Its weight, together with the topmast-yards, sails, and rig- 
ging attached to it was too heavy to be supported by the bowsprit, and 
that broke off near the stem. The vessel, no longer mindful of her 
helm, came up into the wind. The scene now for a few moments, 
was one of dismay. The darkness of the night, the roaring sea, the 
howling wind, the quick and sharp rolling of the vessel, unchecked by 
any sail, the hard thumping against the vessel of the spars which had 
fallen alongside, and which threatened mischief, and the difficulty of 
coming at the rigging, which held the spars, in order to cut it away, 
all combined to make our situation one of great perplexity. At each 



DISMASTED. 227 

roll of the vessel to windward, the stay, which from the head of the 
mainmast was attached to that of the foremast, raising it out of the 
water, and causing a strain which threatened the loss of the main- 
mast, made it requisite to cut away that stay as soon as possible. — 
This could be done only at the mainmast head ; but to get there was 
a very difficult task, owing to the shrouds being greatly slackened by 
one roll, and brought up with a sudden jerk on the opposite. At the 
first attempt, the man had ascended about half way, when he was 
thrown off by one of those sudden jerks, but fortunately was saved 
from destruction by falling into the mainsail, which, having been 
lowered part way down, made a cradle for his reception, and prevent- 
ed his receiving any harm. A second attempt was more success- 
ful ; the man gained the mast-head and cut away the stay ; but, by 
this time, the mainmast had become so badly sprung, that I was ap- 
prehensive it would fall before he could get down. 

As soon as this was accomplished, the attention of every one was 
given to cutting away such of the rigging as kept the wreck of 
spars alongside. This being done, and the precaution taken of at- 
taching a strong line to the spars, the greater drift of the vessel soon 
brought them to windward, and they served to keep the vessel's head 
to the sea. Daylight unveiled to us no new misfortune ; but on exam- 
ining the stump of the foremast, an old defect was discovered, which 
had been hidden from our sight by the wedges of the mast, and which 
was the cause of our misfortune. 

Before noon of the following day, the gale had very considerably 
abated, and with great industry we not only saved the sails and rig- 
ging, but erected a jury mast and got a sail upon it before night. It 
was now however, a matter of much difficulty to determine on the most 
eligible course to pursue. The sail we were able to spread was so 
greatly reduced as to make our progress on a wind very slow ; this 
difficulty might at any moment be increased by the fall of the main- 
mast, which was so very badly sprung, that, with our best efforts at 
fishing it, and also, of relieving it of the weight of the topmast and 
yards, we were in constant apprehension of losing it. In such a 
predicament, it would be impossible to work off of a lee shore. To 
proceed to any one of the West India Islands, would have been a 
task of easy accomplishment, as it would have been sailing before 



228 THIRD VOYAGE. 

the wind all the way ; but this course would have been ruinous to our 
voyage. With the wind as it then was, two points free, we could 
make five knots an hour ; hence I considered it practicable to weather 
Cape St. Roque, and, this once accomplished, the prospect would be 
fair of reaching Rio Janeiro, where the repairs required could be 
easily and expeditiously made, and the original plan of the voyage 
be prosecuted. I therefore determined on making the attempt, and 
shaped our course for this purpose. 

Owing to the prevalence of light winds and calms, which succeeded 
the gale that had been so disastrous to us, we did not cross the Equa- 
tor until the 6th of October, twenty-five days from that of the disaster ; 
and in eighteen days afterwards, the 24th of October, we arrived at 
Rio Janeiro, having been forty-three days navigating in so crippled a 
state, that a gale of ordinary violence or duration would greatly have 
increased our embarrassments, if it did not prevent our gaining the 
desired port. 

The policy of the Portuguese government, like that of Spain, 
prohibited strangers from entering a port of their colonies, excepting 
only on the evidence of such palpable necessity as would make the 
refusal an act of gross inhumanity. There could exist no doubt in the 
minds of the official visitors, that ours was a case in point, and one 
demanding the utmost extent of their indulgence. Nearly two hours 
were expended in the requisite examinations and investigations of 
the damages incurred, in order to estimate the time required to repair 
them, so as to graduate the number of days, which should be jiermit- 
ted us to remain in port. The proces verbal, or report, being accom- 
plished and submitted to the proper authorities, they were pleased to 
grant us forty-five days. 

An attempt was now made by the government linguist to compel 
the employment of mechanics of his appointment ; but the very 
earnestness, with which he pressed this, and his assurance that I 
should be permitted to employ no others, awakened my suspicions 
of sinister and base motives on his part, and induced a reference to 
higher authority, from which I learned, that no such regulation existed, 
and that I was at liberty to employ any that I chose. 

It was impossible to procure such masts here as were suitable for a 
schooner of the size of our vessel, and I therefore decided to rig her 



RIG THE VESSEL AS A BRIG. 229 

as a brig ; for which purpose both our old masts would answer. Giv- 
ing, then, to the carpenter the requisite directions for the length of 
the masts, spars, &c., and to the sail-maker for the sails to be made 
from those of the schooner, and employing the crew in preparing 
the rigging, there existed no doubt of accomplishing our object and 
of being ready to leave the port even before the expiration of the 
time to which we were limited. 

Whilst the Aspasia was undergoing these various repairs and 
changes, I had received information, which made it very desirable to 
alter the voyage. The great length of time, during which an entire 
suspension of business had been caused at the river of Plate by the 
hostile fleet and army of England, had prevented the transmission to 
the Havana of those supplies of jerked beef, which long habit had 
made indispensable. It was obvious, therefore, that no occasion had 
ever been presented, which held out such flattering inducements for 
the undertaking of such a voyage. The profits were a certainty, that 
might be nearly estimated at the outset. The risk from capture at 
sea appeared to be trifling, and the time necessary for its accomplish- 
ment would not be more than half that required for prosecuting the 
original plan. But the obstacles to be overcome were very great, 
and, at first sight, seemed to render the attempt irrational and hope- 
less. The utter impossibility of obtaining permission from govern- 
ment to sell our cargo, the difiiculty and great risk of attempting to 
do it without such permission, the small amount in value, which our 
vessel would carry in jerked beef, and the improbability of being able 
to procure a suitable ship to take the remainder, all seemed to render 
the execution of the plan, however desirable, one of insurmountable 
difficulty. In the prosecution of an object, however, where there was 
a certainty of reward in proportion to obstacles to be overcome, the 
stimulus was powerful to look on every side for their removal, and, 
in so doing, I was aided by one of the most respectable and influential 
merchants of the city. 

In the old and decayed colonial governments of Portugal and 
Spain, where those who administered them seemed to consider them- 
selves placed rather to make their own fortunes than to benefit the 
state or the people, and where the conduct of the subalterns in office 
was influenced by the example of their superiors, an intelligent mer- 
20 



230 THIRD VOYAGE. 

chant generally possessed the power, if not of suspending the rigor 
of the commercial laws, at least of producing a blindness to their 
infraction, which rendered them nugatory. To such a merchant it 
was my good fortune to be introduced, — one, before all others of 
the city, who possessed the requisite energy, enterprise, influence, 
and ability for the prosecution of the plan in contemplation. He 
perceived that a negotiation was practicable, which would be mutually 
advantageous. The great profit he would make on my cargo, taken 
at ten percent, advance on the invoice, at which I offered it, would 
enable him to defray all the expenses of getting it on shore, and those 
attendant on the delivery of the Aspasia's cargo of beef, at sea ; 
both of which operations were to be at his risk, and would leave him 
a handsome sum as compensation. An additional inducement, also, 
was that of receiving, in part payment, a fine coppered ship of three 
hundred and sixty tons burden, then in port, and ready to be expedited 
without delay. This ship was to be provided with a Portuguese master 
and crew, to be navigated under the Portuguese flag, and was to pro- 
ceed to the Island of St. Catherine, where a cargo of beef would be 
delivered on board as soon as it could be transported there from the 
Rio Grande. 

According to agreement the necessary measures were taken for 
unlading the Aspasia, and so judiciously, that in two nights the whole 
cargo was landed without accident or any attempt at molestation 
from the sentries or the officers of the customs. It was not possible, 
however, to conceal or to prevent observation on the sudden and 
apparently miraculous manner, in which our vessel had become ele- 
vated on the water, and which was marked along her whole length by 
the grass and foulness common to wood, which has been for so long 
a time submerged in sea-water. This evidence of our nightly labor 
was scraped off and a coat of tar and blacking put on immediately, 
of which no other notice was taken than an occasional joke from the 
native boat-men on the suddenness, with which our vessel had risen 
on the water, without any apparent cause. 

Although we used all our powers to induce the spar-maker to exert 
his utmost energies in our behalf, he was unable to complete the 
spars, tops, and caps, in less than three weeks after our arrival. 
However, as the other parts of the equipment were finished, we sue- 



ST. Catherine's. 231 

ceeded in preparing the vessel for sea a week within the time to 
which we were limited. When all was thus ready, we weighed 
anchor, and made several tacks to and fro in the bay, to try her rate 
of sailing and manner of working as a brig, and had reason to be 
perfectly satisfied with the change. The next day, having ascer- 
tained, that the vessel with the beef was ready to go outside, and 
transfer it to the Aspasia, both vessels proceeded to sea, together, on 
the 1st of December. To Mr. Rogers, the first mate of the Aspa- 
sia, I had given her in charge, with directions, when laden, to proceed 
to the Havana, there dispose of the cargo, and, with the proceeds of 
it, to lade the vessel with such produce of the island as he should 
judge best adapted to the New York market, whither he was to make 
the best of his way with it. 

The Aspasia being despatched, there was nothing to prevent me 
from giving my undivided attention to expediting the Telemaco, the 
ship I had bought ; but acting by means of others, I perceived to be 
dull work, and particularly so with the Portuguese. There was, 
however, no other resource than patience ; and it was very evident, 
that large drafts would be required upon whatever stock I might pos- 
sess of this virtue. The young man, who had been appointed 
to command the ship, was docile and amiable, but entirely desti- 
tute of that principle of enterprise, which is an acknowledged 
peculiarity of the American character ; so that, as almost every 
thing depended on his exertions for getting away the ship, it was 
nearly the end of December before this desirable object was accom- 
plished. 

Our passage to St. Catherine's was performed in a few days, 
and with much ease. The predicament, however, of making one 
of a ship's company, not an individual of which, excepting my 
servant, was acquainted with any other than the Portuguese lan- 
guage, of which I was ignorant, was not without its embarrass- 
ment. 

Entering by the passage at the north end of the island, it is neces- 
sary to pass over a long distance of flats, on which there are only 
from seven to eight feet of water, before arriving at the harbor in 
front of the town, in doing which we scraped the bottom several 
times, and hence had evidence, that it would be injurious to cause the 



232 THIRD VOYAGE. 

ship to draw more water going out, and that we should be compelled 
to lade the greater part of the cargo in the roadstead, at the north 
end of the island. 

Directions having been sent to Rio Grande, at the time of making 
my contract for the beef to be sent to St. Catherine's, a brig, with 
nearly two hundred tons, reached there a few days after our arrival. 
This being taken on board, and occupying the place of the ballast, 
which had been thrown out, made the ship draw a few inches more 
water than on entering ; and this trifling increase caused embarrass- 
ment, and the loss of a kedge-anchor, in returning over the flats. 
Having anchored in the roadstead, near the main side, from which 
was a beautiful run of water emptying into the sea, we waited there 
nearly a month before receiving the remainder of the cargo. In the 
mean time, the men were engaged in filling the water-casks, and in 
cutting a plentiful supply of wood. 

The town of St. Catherine's is eligibly situated on a gentle slope, 
at the southwest side of the island ; and its harbor is secure against 
the influence of every wind. The appearance of the town, from the 
shipping in the harbor, is very prepossessing ; but a closer inspec- 
tion tends, in some degree, to remove the favorable impressions thus 
made. The houses are of very ordinary construction, generally of 
one story; and their furniture is of the rudest manufacture, and 
limited to articles of indispensable necessity. Hence, the inhabitants, 
being unacquainted with luxuries, or unambitious of possessing them, 
are very generally in the enjoyment of ease and independence. 
Indeed, when a Creole Portuguese possesses enough to keep him 
from starving, he will no longer labor, but riots in those slothful indul- 
gences, which, from education or, rather, example, and the effect of 
climate, he considers supreme happiness. 

To the richest individual of the place I had a letter of introduc- 
tion ; but it did not procure for me any of those little attentions, which 
may be made without any expense, and which are so gratifying in a 
strange land. By the accidental circumstance of being near his 
house, during a passing shower, I took the liberty of going in, to 
avoid getting wet, and was treated with all desirable civility. This 
man's fortune is estimated at twenty thousand dollars; an amount, 
which, compared with that of the rest of the community, gives him 



233 

the same false estimate of himself, induced by the sycophancy of his 
fellow-citizens, which, from a like cause, is but too often seen in bet- 
ter educated and more intelligent communities* 

The Governor, though acknowledged to be a worthy man, is deci- 
dedly opposed to the levelling system, which is a peculiarity of the 
times ; and when its influence is observed in an individual, by any 
deficiency of respect to himself, he does not allow it to pass unno- 
ticed. Of this he gave an instance one day, when one of the seamen 
of the Telemaco, being on shore on liberty, passed near to him with- 
out raising his hat. He was instantly arrested ; and, although he 
urged, in extenuation, 'his ignorance of its being the Governor, he 
was, nevertheless, put in the stocks for an hour. With such sum- 
mary punishment for a breach of good manners, it may be pre- 
sumed, that the people are orderly ; that riots, street brawls, and 
drunken frolics are unknown here. Indeed, the inhabitants have 
no fancy for them ; and the foreign sailors, who are occasionally 
here, soon discover, that a sober demeanor is the only one allow- 
able. 

In consequence of the limited native commerce of St. Catherine's, 
and the small number of foreign ships which visit it, there are no 
inducements to the inhabitants to prepare such supplies of live stock, 
vegetables, and fruits, as are desirable for vessels touching there ; 
and hence, in procuring ours, we were indebted to the kindness of 
some individuals, who permitted encroachments to be made on their 
family stock. Having accomplished our lading, after waiting for the 
last part of the cargo until my patience was nearly exhausted, we 
immediately weighed anchor, and sailed for the Havana, on the 15th 
of February, 1807. 

After having abandoned the original plan of going to the west 
coast of America, and decided on the one I was now prosecuting, I 
had written by two opportunities, from Rio Janeiro, to my friends in 
Boston, requesting to have insurance effected, if it were practicable. 
But these were precarious times for neutrals, when the two great 
belligerents agreed in nothing else than in plundering them ; and I 
was aware of the uncertainty, whether, by some new order in coun- 
cil, on one side, or some retaliatory decree on the other, approxima- 
ting to an interdiction of all neutral commerce, insurance could be 
20* 



234 THIKD VOYAGE. 

effected at any rate. On the presumption, however, that such neutral 
commerce would be unmolested, as did not, even in a remote degree, 
prejudice the interests of the belligerents, (and of this description the 
voyage I was now pursuing certainly was,) I felt that I had little else 
to guard against than the sea risk, and therefore was free from anx- 
iety on the subject of insurance. 

A few degrees south of the equator we fell in with a British frigate, 
by which we were subjected to a rigid scrutiny ; the result of which 
was a conviction of the neutrality of the property, the legality of the 
voyage, and consequently, that there existed no motive for detention. 
By the captain and officers of this ship I was treated with much 
civility, and, on parting, they wished me a safe arrival at Havana* 
A similar investigation, with a like result, by a British sloop*of-war, 
from which we were boarded a few days afterwards, tended to 
encourage me in the belief that I had nothing to apprehend from 
British vessels of war. These evidences, that my voyage was not 
considered opposed to any order or regulation which should justify 
its interruption, and by those too, whose eye to discover a flaw pos- 
sessed the quickness of the eagle, and whose appetite for prey was 
as voracious as that of the shark, confirmed my opinion, that the sea 
risk was all I had to apprehend. With these impressions, I perceived 
no other obstacle to prevent my reaching Havana, where I was sure 
of reaping an immense profit on my adventure. In the contempla* 
tion of such flattering prospects, my imagination often dwelt on thef 
joy of a happy return to my family, with a fortune that would super- 
sede the necessity of ever leaving it again. These pleasing anticipa- 
tions, however, were soon destined to pass away into the regions of 
airy castles. 

Early on a fine morning, when about a hundred and fifty miles to 
windward of the Island of Martinique, we descried a number of 
vessels to westward, which, on approaching, were perceived to be a 
fleet of English vessels of war. Being nearest the Ramillies, of 
seventy-four guns, we were boarded from that ship, and on ascertaining 
that the fleet was commanded by Admiral Cochrane, my heart 
sank within me. All my confidence, resulting from the ordeal 
to which we had been so recently subjected, combined with my 
entire conviction of the innocence and legitimacy of the voyage, 



ADMIRAL COCHRANE. 23^ 

were insufficient to banish the apprehension of being sent in for adju- 
dication. 

The boarding officer from the Ramillies was a young man of good 
appearance, but totally deficient in every attribute of the gentleman 
excepting his garb. His behavior to the captain of the Telemacoj 
and to myself, while on board our own ship, was marked by all that 
insolence, arrogance, and impudence, which are the acknowledged 
peculiarities of a coward, when conscious of being free from danger. 
As the captain of the Telemaco did not speak English, I accompa- 
nied this brutal officer on board the Kamillies, with the ship's papers. 
My reception and treatment by the venerable and respectable com- 
mander of this ship, formed a perfect contrast with that of the board- 
ing officer. He was evidently one of the old school, urbane, mild, 
gentlemanly, and with manners and deportment as much at variance 
with those of his subalterns, as were the courtiers of the times of 
the Louises, with the sans-culottes of our day. After a thorough ex- 
amination of our papers, in which he was assisted by two of his offi- 
cers, no cause was perceived by them to justify the detention of the 
ship ; consequently, the papers were returned to me by the com- 
mander, who wished me a good voyage, and caused me to be put on 
board the Telemaco again. 

On the presumption that a captain in the fleet would not act in this 
independent manner without the sanction of the commander-in-chief, 
I began to doubt whether time had not effected a change in the char- 
acter of the Admiral, whether the high station to which he had 
arrived, might not have elevated his mind above the buccaniering 
propensities for which he was famed ; whether even he might not 
occasionally feel something allied to remorse, at the amount of dis- 
tress which he must be conscious that he had caused, and hence had 
determined to plunder no more. This delusion unfortunately was 
but of momentary duration. The Admiral, in this instance, gave 
evidence that time and exalted station had no ameliorating effect on' 
his piratical propensities. We had scarcely filled away our sails,' 
when, his ship having approached, and the information having been 
conveyed to him by signal, of whence we came, and whither we 
were bound, without deigning to see us, or our papers, he ordered 
our ship to be taken possession of, and to be conducted to Tortola. 



THIRD VOYAG^E* 

Accordingly, a boat, with the requisite number of men^ came on 
board from the Cerberus frigate, and took possession of our ship ; 
returning, took our ship's company, including myself, on board the 
frigate, leaving the master of the Telemaco, alone of our number, 
on board that ship. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Admiral Cochrane — His Notoriety — OflBcers of the Cerberus — Theme of Conversa- 
tion — Arrival at Tortola — Dougan, the Prize Agent — His Threat to the Judge — 
Vice- Admiralty Court — Condemnation — Cause therefor — Proposal from the Agent 

— Proceed to St. Thomas — Wrecked — Arrive in the Boat — Effect on the Owners — 
Fail ia my Object — Return — Embark again for St. Thomas — Hence to New York 

— Arrival — Interview with a Friend — Extent of my Misfortune — Arrive at Home. 




•JJ^IB experience of a few years, with only a mod- 
erate degree of observation, will suffice to convince 
us, that with man, as with animals, there are pecu- 
liarities and propensities in families, and in charac- 
ters which are known to the world, by which they 
may justly be designated as of a good or a bad breed. 
As an instance among distinguished men, no con- 
temporary of those great British naval commanders, the 
Howes, who had observed their course, but would decide 
that they belonged to the former class ; and that they 
were incapable of other than noble, honorable, and 
chivalrous acts. On the contrary, there are none who are 
^^ familiar with the names and course of the Cochranes, but 
'^^^s must have identified them with the latter class. They have 
' invariably exhibited a thievish propensity ; for the gratifica- 
tion of which, and for a long course of years, they have set at defi- 
ance the laws of God and man. In the indulgence of this propensity 
Admiral Cochrane stands pre-eminent. The multitude of defenceless 
merchant vessels, which he took and sent in for adjudication, in the 
early part of the war, incident to the French Revolution, and while 
in command of the Thetis frigate, on the Halifax station, will long be 
remembered ; and although he must have been aware, that not one in 
fifty of them could be confiscated, yet as he would be exonerated 
from expense, he seemed not only to have a total disregard of the 



238 THIRD VOYAGE. 

ruin he was causing innocent men, but actually to riot in the exercise 
of power which produced that ruin. During the long war which suc- 
ceeded, and in which he was promoted, his highest ambition seems to 
have been that of enriching himself by the plunder of defenceless 
merchant vessels. The attack on New Orleans was projected by 
him ; and the watchword of " Booty and Beauty," is sufficiently 
expressive of the character of the enterprise. This abortive attempt 
was the last great buccaniering expedition in which the Admiral was 
engaged. 

The unenviable course of Lord Cochrane, nephew of the Admiral, 
who has figured at the head of the Chilian navy, and its consequences, 
are of general notoriety ; and I mention him, because, being both 
designated as admirals, and equally eager for plunder, they are often 
confounded ; and because, being a relative, it serves to confirm the 
correctness of the theory of breeds. 

There is scarcely an object offered to the contemplation of an hon- 
orable mind more disgusting than a sordid desire of accumulating 
riches, in one whose profession is arms ; and when that desire is 
indulged at the expense of innocent and unoffending individuals, there 
is no term too opprobrious to apply to it. There exists such an 
incompatibility in the two pursuits, that whenever they are united in 
the same person, that person may truly be termed a poltroon. 

Those only of our countrymen, who were engaged in commerce 
thirty years ago, can, from experience, form a just estimate of the 
atrocious conduct of the British government toward neutrals, and of 
the hopelessness of any cause, however fair, which was subjected to 
the decision of any of its West India Vice- Admiralty Courts ; and 
especially that of Tortola, the most infamous mockery of justice, and 
apology for sanctioning plunder, with which the world has ever been 
disgraced. Even before such a tribunal, however, with such entire 
absence of all cause for confiscation as my case presented, a hope of 
escape might have been indulged, had I been sent in by some poor 
friendless lieutenant ; but with an admiral for my opponent confisca- 
tion was certain. 

During the several days I passed on board the Cerberus, before 
arriving, I was treated with much civility by the captain and officers 
of that ship. The wardroom officers were all young men of gentle- 



TELEMACO. 239 

manly manners and deportment. The all-absorbing theme of con- 
versation while I was with them, was their prizes ; what they had 
shared from one ; what they expected to share from another ; not 
omitting an estimate of the pittance each might derive from my 
property. That the minds of pirates and thieves should be so exclu- 
sively engaged in the discussion of the amount and division of their 
booty, is easily comprehended ; but, to perceive the same thing in men 
professing to be gentlemen, possibly Christians, men wearing the 
livery of one of the most powerful monarchs of the earth, warriors 
by profession, was a circumstance equally incomprehensible and 
disgustinsf. 

The Cerberus and the Telemaco came to anchor at the same time 
in the harbor of Tortola, on the 22d of April, 1807. The agent for 
prizes, a Mr. Dougan, came on board, and to him were delivered the 
ship's papers. He then very civilly accompanied me on shore to aid 
me in procuring lodgings. This being accomplished, I returned on 
board, at the expiration of about two hours, to take my baggage on 
shore ; and to my surprise found, that during that short interval, Dou- 
gan had been on board, had broken open my writing-desk, and had 
abstracted from it all my private letters and papers. This wanton 
outrage was entirely unnecessary, as he might have had the key by 
asking for it ; but it served to open my eyes to a character whose 
conduct, throughout the business, proved him to be a worthy coadjutor 
of Admiral Cochrane. 

From a merchant of the place, who happened to be present when 
the Judge and Dougan were examining the papers together, I learned 
that the Judge could not then perceive any cause for confiscating the 
property. The voyage, he admitted, as appeared by the documents, 
was begun at New York for American account. The proceeds, at 
Rio Janeiro, of the investment, was sufficient to purchase the property 
under adjudication. It was shipped at a neutral port, on board a 
neutral ship, for neutral account, and consisted of no article contra- 
band of war. On what plea, then, could it be condemned ? was a 
question that required much ingenuity to solve, — the more especially 
as Dougan was then heard to say to the Judge, on his expressing a 
doubt, that if this prize escaped condemnation, none others should be 
sent to Tortola, but he would advise their being sent into one of the 



240 THIRD VOYAGE. 

Other Islands for trial. Whether this threat had any influence in the 
final decision is known only to themselves, but that it was so intended 
is obvious. 

There was no choice of a person to act as counsel for the defend- 
ant, for there was at Tortola but one individual for that office, who 
served on all prize cases, and whose sympathy was enlisted entirely 
on the side of the plunderers. Under such discouraging circum- 
stances, and entertaining no doubt of what would be the result, I 
should instantly have abandoned the property, and wasted neither time 
nor money in attempting to defend a case already prejudged ; but 
my duty to the underwriters, if the property had been insured, and 
the propriety of securing an appeal, forbade this course, and induced 
me to wait the tardy process of the court. The farce of trial was of 
becoming duration, and was conducted with the same forms and 
solemnity, as if the objects had been to elicit truth and to administer 
justice. 

As the case of the Telemaco was perfectly plain, involving no intricate 
point whatever, it was impossible that the Judge should have perceived, 
in thirty days, any more cause of confiscation than was discoverable 
on the first examination of the papers ; hence it is probable, that his 
mind was made up soon after the threat of Dougan, and that the trial 
was neither more nor less than a shield to cover an act of villany. 
The ship and cargo were condemned as good and lawful prize to 
Admiral Cochrane, on two grounds, — the one being that of pursuing 
a voyage in time of war, which is not permitted in time of peace ; 
the other, " the inadmissibility of a continuity of voyages." 

It is but doing justice to the honorable feelings of a young naval 
commander, who had recently arrived on this station, and who was 
yet uninitiated in the atrocious practices peculiar to it, to mention, 
that, when informed by a friend of mine of the decision of the court, 
and the reasons for it, he indignantly, and perhaps imprudently, 
termed it no other than licensed piracy. Those of my fellow-citizens, 
of more recent times who, by the ameliorating influence of their 
commercial relations with England, have imbibed the most lofty, and, 
I doubt not, just ideas of the honor, good faith, and integrity of Brit- 
ish merchants, may find it difficult to credit the fact, that, only thirty 
years ago, the government of which they are subjects could sanction 



CAUSE OF CONDEMNATION* 341 

such atrocities as those I have detailed ; or that a British Admiral 
existed, who would condescend to use such base, cruel, and wicked 
means for the augmentation of his private fortune. But the thousands 
of my fellow-citizens, who were ruined at this period by being strip- 
ped of their property, on equally frivolous pretexts, will corroborate 
the accuracy of my statement. 

The Telemaco and cargo being condemned, it was no easy matter 
for the prize agent to dispose of them, excepting at a very great 
sacrifice. The ship possessed an intrinsic value at Tortola, which the 
cargo did not. To have unloaded, with a view of transporting it in 
other vessels to the Havana, where only a sale was to be found for it, 
would be incurring great expense and labor, of doubtful remuneration. 
Hence, there was an evident necessity of selling the ship and cargo 
together, and it would be impossible to effect this, with the fact before 
the eyes of the purchaser, that the property had just been confiscated 
for being bound to the only place where it could be disposed of. The 
prize agent was extremely embarrassed with the peculiarity of this 
case, aware that, without the intervention of a neutral, nothing could 
be made of it. In this extremity, he made a proposal to me take it 
at about half its original cost, and, as an inducement, would engage 
to provide protection against detention by British cruisers on its way 
to Havana. What effrontery ! What impudence ! What villany ! 
To rob me of my property on pretext of inadmissibility of voyage, 
and then propose a passport for the more safe prosecution of the same 
voyage, for pursuing which the property was confiscated ! 

That the atrocity of this case may be viewed in all its bearings at 
once, I will make some repetitions, even at the risk of being consid- 
ered tedious. Of the perfect neutrality of this property, there was 
not suggested nor did there exist in the mind of any one a doubt. 
The cargo consisted of no article contraband of war, and was not 
destined to a blockaded port. We had been subjected to a rigid 
scrutiny by three different British ships of war, and neither of them 
sav/ any reason for detaining us. Without the formality of looking 
at our papers, or even of seeing an individual belonging to the ship, 
Admiral Cochrane ordered her to be taken possession of and to be 
conducted to Tortola for adjudication. At Tortola the ship and cargo 
were condemned as good and lawful prize. The cargo being of a 
21 



242 THIRD VOYAGE. 

description that embarrassed the prize agent to know what to do with 
it, he proposed, as an inducement for me to buy it in, to provide a 
passport, which should secure it against British capture on the way to 
its original destination. Had this event, and others resembling it, 
with w?iich the times were fertile, occurred in the Dark Ages, when 
might and right were synonymous, they would have been in keeping 
with the state of the human mind at that time ; but, in the nineteenth 
century, the age of enlightened benevolence and high moral sense, 
that any pressure of war should be sufficient to induce a Christian 
government to encourage or sanction such robberies, will be matter 
of amazement and regret to those who have since come upon the 
active stage of life, and who learn from the reminiscences of their 
seniors, that such were the actual facts. 

Although the proposal, before mentioned, came from so suspicious 
a source, and might be designed to plunge me into deeper ruin, yet 
it was so tempting, holding out the prospect, even with the curtail- 
ment of one half the capital, of retrieving my fortune, that, however 
much the chance was against my being able to raise the requisite sum, 
I determined to spare no efforts for the attainment of so desirable an 
object. 

To have made the attempt at Tortola, would have been useless. 
The merchants of that place had become so much inured to scenes of 
ruin and misery, as to view the victims of their freebooters with feel- 
ings of contempt, rather than sympathy. My only hope, therefore, 
was to go to St. Thomas, and there endeavor, by hypothecating the 
vessel and cargo, by bills on the United States, or by dividing the 
adventure into shares, to raise the requisite sum to ransom the property. 
Accordingly, a droger being then about to sail for that place, I took 
passage in her, and left Tortola late in the afternoon. 

The breeze, during the night, was very moderate, and the vessel 
was making such slow progress, that the master calculated on arriving 
off the port not before daylight. There must, however, have been 
great ignorance of the danger, or very careless steering, or perhaps 
both ; as, between one and two o'clock in the morning, we had run on 
to a ledge of rocks. Being waked by the hard striking of the vessel, 
miy first impression was, that we were alongside some ship in the 
harbor ; but a second and third concussion, and a great bustle on deck, 




4 




» 



.or Oi L.; 

Ins heard th: 



TELEMACO. 243 

satisfied me that we were in danger. I then immediately jumped out 
of my berth, and found the water above my ancles, on the cabin floor. 
Taking my clothes in my hand, I ran on deck, and hastily put them 
on. By this time, the vessel had so settled and heeled over, as to 
bring the water nearly to the coamings of the hatches, on the lee side 
of the deck ; and it was very evident, that both vessel and cargo 
would be a total loss. The vessel was about twenty tons burden, and 
was laden with coffee in bulk. As my little trunk floated towards the 
companion-way, it was seized by one of the men, and put into the 
boat. 

Not more than half an hour had elapsed from the time the vessel 
struck, before she had filled. The crew, consisting of four persons 
and myself, embarked in the boat, and left the wreck, from which 
nothing could be saved. Arriving at the landing just as the day began 
to break, I was obliged to wait the moving of the people, before I 
could find any one to conduct me to the inn. 

In the mean time, the owners of the vessel and cargo had heard a 
rumor of their loss, and had come to the landing to ascertain the par- 
ticulars. These were given by the master and men then present ; 
and, having heard the dismal recital, which closed by the information, 
that the loss was total, they broke out in exclamations, showing the 
depth of their distress. The vessel was owned by a Dane ; the cargo 
by a Frenchman. It was to each his all, and the fruit of many 
years' hard toil ; and it was uninsured. The expression of the effects 
of the disaster, on each, was truly characteristic. The Dane evidently 
felt his loss deeply. He was sad, melancholy, silent, excepting now 
and then an exclamation of " My God ! what a misfortune ! what a 
pity ! " The Frenchman, feeling all the horrors of being reduced to 
beggary from comparative independence, gave full vent to those feel- 
ings, in a most undignified manner. He cried, groaned, wrung his 
hands, threw his hat on the ground, and stamped upon it, exclaiming, 
every instant, " O mon Dieu ! mon Dieu ! quel malheur ! " and acting 
like a perfect maniac. The sympathy of the good people, who had 
collected in considerable numbers, was evinced in their attempts to 
soothe him ; but any consolation, offered at this moment, was unheeded 
and useless. 

Being incapable of assuaging the grief, or of rendering any service 



244 THIRD VOYAGE. 

to these unfortunate people, I left them as soon as I could procure a 
negro to take my trunk, and show me the way to the inn. When 
there, my first object was to procure dry clothes. Mine were all wet, 
those in my trunk as well as those I had on ; and no other resource 
was presented me than that of wrapping myself in a borrowed cloak, 
and waiting in my room until some of them were dried. This was 
accomplished in due time ; and then, being greatly refreshed by a 
good breakfast, I walked out to see the town, and to find the merchants 
to whom I had letters. I had a long interview with each. They were 
very civil and friendly, and were not deficient in expressions of sym- 
pathy for my misfortunes, nor of denunciations for what they termed 
the villany of the Vice-Admiralty Court, in encouraging and sanction- 
ing such acts of piracy. But they declined advancing me any thing 
to redeem my property, in either of the several modes I proposed to 
them, probably for the very good reason, that, as the property on its 
way to Havana would be secure against British capture, there would 
exist no other than the sea risk, and, therefore, they could avail them- 
selves of the entire advantage of the operation. 

Having ascertained that a vessel would sail from hence for New 
York in about a fortnight, it was very desirable that I should not lose 
the opportunity of going in her, seeing that now all hope of re- 
purchasing my ship was annihilated. Accordingly I returned to 
Tortola the fourth day after leaving, and immediately set about 
making the necessary arrangements for taking a final leave of this 
abominable place. Dougan expressed regret that I had not succeeded 
in raising the means to enable me to accept his proposal ; but, with 
the passport, there was no doubt some neutral from St. Thomas would 
be forthcoming, who would readily make the purchase. 

Having settled my accounts, and secured my appeal papers, I left 
Tortola on the 25th of July, more than a month from the date of my 
arrival. During that month, scarce a day passed, in which I was not 
subjected to some angry altercation, some unnecessary provocation, 
some feverish excitem.ent, from my opponents ; or some trouble and 
anxiety from complaints and uneasiness of the officers and crew of 
our ship ; and this, under the scorching influence of a vertical sun. 
But I had the happiness to escape the fever, which this combination of 
causes was so well calculated to produce, and to retain my health. 



TELEMACO. 245 

As I left the harbor, on my way to St. Thortias, I passed near the 
Telemaco, which lay there by virtue of the right of the strong over 
the weak. The distinction between this act of piracy, and those of 
a like character by the ancient buccaniers, must be perceived to con- 
sist alone in the circumstance, that the former is sanctioned by kindred 
banditti, termed a Vice -Admiralty Court ; and the latter were too 
honest and magnanimous to practise such hypocrisy. The annals of 
the times, however, were fertile in the detail of such atrocious inva- 
sions of the rights of neutrals ; the one party justifying its thefts, by 
the thefts and burnings of the other. 

To have practised the self-denial incident to leaving my family for 
so long a time ; to have succeeded in reaching Rio Janeiro, after being 
dismasted, and suffering all the toils and anxieties incident thereto ; 
to have surmounted, happily, the numerous obstacles and risks 
attendant on the peculiarity of the transactions in port ; to have 
accomplished the business of lading and despatching the vessels, in 
defiance of great obstacles, and to perceive the fortune almost within 
my grasp, which would secure to me ease and independence for the 
remainder of my life ; and then, by the irresistible means of brute 
force, to see the whole swept off, in so atrocious and cruel a manner, 
and myself and family thereby reduced, in a moment, from affluence 
to poverty, must be admitted to be a calamity of no ordinary magni- 
tude. It required, indeed, the exercise of great fortitude and patience, 
and naturally led to the perception of the acknowledged truth, that 
mankind experience a greater amount of misery from the evil passions 
and wickedness of their fellow-men, than from all the effects of hur- 
ricanes, lightning, earthquakes, and the warring elements combined. 

Fortunately, I possessed an elasticity of mind, which adapted itself 
to circumstances. I was accustomed to contend with difficulties, and 
disciplined by a long course of losses and disappointments ; and, 
when suffering under them, I habitually looked round for the means 
to remedy them. I was soon enabled, therefore, to throw off much 
of the weight of this misfortune. Some mitigation of its effect was 
produced by cherishing the hope that insurance on the property might 
have been effected, and that the Aspasia might have accomplished 
her voyage successfully. Although no more could be expected from 
the appeal, than the sum for which the property had been sacrificed ; 
21* 



246 THIRD VOYAGE. 

and this sum would, necessarily, be much reduced by lawyers' fees 
and merchants' commissions, before reaching my hands ; yet even 
this served to buoy up my spirits, under their excessive pressure. 

Arriving again at St. Thomas, I found the ship destined for New 
York, nearly ready for sea. Although a stranger in the place, there 
were none of the usual attractions for beguiling the tedious hours of 
one in my unfortunate circumstances ; and the necessity for an addi- 
tional day's delay increased my impatience. 

At length on the 8th of June, we took our departure from St. 
Thomas, and, on the 30th of the same month, arrived at New York, 
after a passage as pleasant as there was reason to expect at this sea- 
son of the year. We had several invalids on board, which obliged 
us to pass four days in quarantine at Staten Island. This, under 
different auspices, would have been a pleasure, and even as it was, 
the arrival from sea, the enchanting picture from the terrace of the 
quarantine house, the supply of the various refreshments of the 
season, the daily papers, which came regularly to us, and, more than 
all, letters from my family announcing that all were well, combined 
to lessen the tedium of my detention. 

On being relieved from quarantine, on the 4th of July, the master 
of the Telemaco and myself went to the city, arriving there amid the 
din of arms and all the noise and bustle of the celebration of the 
national jubilee. At this moment the public mind was greatly excited 
at the outrage committed on the Chesapeake frigate, by the British 
squadron then within the waters of the United States, and the prevail- 
ing opinion seemed to be, that war was the inevitable consequence. 

Having been informed that an intimate friend and relation from 
Boston was in town, who I knew would be able to give me the requi- 
site information as to the state of my aifairs, I lost no time in seeking 
him ; but it was hastening only to be the earlier acquainted with 
disasters, even greater than I had imagined. On meeting him, T per- 
ceived a shadow cast over that benevolent countenance, which had 
hitherto always beamed with smiles and joy when meeting me after 
an absence, which argued but too clearly, that my worst anticipations 
were about being confirmed. He told me, that, in consequence of 
the promulgation of some new orders in council about the time my 
letters arrived, desiring insurance to be made, the officers became so 



INTERVIEW WITH A FRIEND. 247 

alarmed, that it could not be effected at a less premium than thirty- 
three and one third per cent., which my friends would not consent to 
give ; hence no insurance had been made on the property, and the 
loss was for account of Mr. Shaler and myself Nor was this all ; he 
was pained to say, that the Aspasia and cargo were, also, a total loss. 
The melancholy detail was, that she had arrived safe at Havana, and 
sold the cargo at fifteen dollars per quintal, and, with the proceeds, 
about thirty thousand dollars, had laden with coffee and sugar, bound 
to New York ; that when off Cape Hatteras a gale was encountered, 
in which the vessel was thrown on her beam ends and half filled with 
water, which ruined the cargo. The master, Rogers, had been swept 
away and lost, and she finally reached Norfolk in a most distressed 
state, where the amount of all that was saved was little more than 
sufficient to pay the wages of the men. To crown the whole, the 
agent at New York had not been informed of this shipment, and con- 
sequently no insurance had been effected. I could not imagine any 
addition to these misfortunes, because I had nothing more at risk ; yet 
I perceived that there was something to be yet unfolded. To this 
overwhelming detail was yet to be added another item, which would 
fill my cup to overflowing, — the failure of a friend and relation, on 
whose paper I was endorser and had become responsible for the sum 
of six thousand dollars. The aggregate of these losses, estimating 
the value of the Telemaco's cargo at the same rate the Aspasia's was 
sold, and the ship at what was paid for her, and independent of all 
profit on an investment of the funds at Havana for New York, would 
amount to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 

All doubts relative to the entire prostration of my fortune were now 
solved : all hope of there being some remnant left me was annihilated, 
and the world was to be begun anew, under the pressure of increased 
responsibilities. But the reflection, that no part of this property was 
on credit, that I had not involved others in my losses, was eminently 
consolatory. And the pleasing contemplation of meeting my family 
again after this first and long absence from .them, and before having 
experienced any thing of the inconvenience and embarrassments 
resulting from such misfortune, combined to check their naturally 
depressing effects on my spirits. 

The weight of our misfortunes bore not less heavily on the Porta- 



248 THIRD VOYAGE. 

guese Captain than on myself, although his was only the loss of time ; 
but his course in life had hitherto been one of uninterrupted smooth- 
ness. This was the first serious misfortune he had experienced, and 
it so afflicted him, that continued encouragement was required to 
enable him to support it with becoming propriety. Fortunately for 
him, he was not destined to wait long for a passage for Lisbon. An 
opportunity presented itself immediately, by which I procured him a 
passage, defrayed the expense of it, and bade him adieu, most proba- 
bly for ever. 

As there was no further cause for detaining me in New York, I 
bent my course homeward, and arrived there on the 8th of July, 1807, 
— a period that will never be obliterated from my memory, — when 
the joy of embracing my family once more in health, was in bitter 
conflict with the distress resulting from the consciousness of the years 
of separation that were inevitable in the renewed efforts requisite for 
their maintenance. 

Those who have found sufficient interest in the preceding pages, to 
be induced to follow me in my subsequent enterprises, will find abun- 
dant evidence, that my forebodings were fully realized in the repeated, 
long, and painful separations from those whom it was no less my duty 
than it would have been my happiness to watch over and protect. 
Compelled to navigate for the support of my family, and deprived in 
consequence of superintending the education of my children, worn^ 
with anxiety, and sick at heart by hope deferred, it will be seen that 
I was for many years an exile from all that rendered life dear and 
desirable, — and this as a consequence of the robbery of my hard- 
earned fortune by Admiral Cochrane. If his enjoyment of this 
property, so wickedly obtained, bears any proportion to the years of 
suffering caused the proprietor by its loss, it affords the strongest pre- 
sumptive evidence of a perversion of mind, which must meet its cor- 
rection hereafter. 



CHAPTEE XX. 



English Aggressions — Embargo — Voyage to Africa — To Halifax and to Europe — 
AiTive in the Clyde — Proceed to London — Project a Voyage to the Isle of Franca 
— Defeated — lUness at Exeter — Kecover — Go to Holland — Lade a Ship for New 
York — Take Charge of Despatches for the United States — Arrival at Baltimore. 



1^12 long-continued course of spoliation by British 
cruisers, on the defenceless commerce of the 
United States, had, at length, roused the indigna- 
tion of the people to such a degree, that they 
viewed war as a less evil than its longer endu- 
rance ; when the insult to the national flag, in 
the attack on the frigate Chesapeake, seemed 
to render such an event inevitable. The embargo 
hich was the immediate consequence, was viewed as 
measure of prudence and sound policy. Those of 
jr merchants who were about engaging in foreign voy- 
^f^iivj^ -ges, abandoned their plans; those who had supplies of 

"^^A^^ foreign merchandise in store, were making calculations on 
Vlr^^ an advanced price ; and those who had property abroad were 
^^VN\ making great exertions to gel it home. To aid in promoting 
^ ' ' the views of the latter class, special permissions were granted 
by our government, for vessels to proceed m ballast, in various direc- 
tions. The peculiar state of the times having prevented my engaging 
in any enterprise, on my own account, I accepted the proposal of 
som.e merchants of Salem, to go in pursuit of a vessel of theirs to the 
coast of Africa. The latest accounts from this vessel were, that after 
having succeeded in collecting a rich cargo, the captain had died, and 
that the mate continued on the coast, to dispose of some portion of 
the outward cargo, which yet remained unsold. 




250 FOURTH VOYAGE. 

Accordingly, the brig Star being prepared for the purpose, and 
provided with the requisite permission from government, I sailed 
from Boston for the coast of Africa, in the month of April, 1808. 
Our accommodations being spacious and airy, and the voyage to be 
performed in the summer months, 1 was induced, no less for our 
mutual gratification, than for the promotion of his health, to invite 
my father-in-law, the venerable ex-collector of the port of Salem, to 
accompany me. 

Our passage out was pleasant and expeditious, arriving off the 
river of Senegal on the twenty-seventh day after leaving Boston. The 
wind, which had blown strong the day before our arrival, had not 
subsided when off the town ; and the surf beat so heavily on the 
beach as to prevent any communication. We stood off and on all 
day, as near the shore as was prudent, in the hope that some canoe 
would succeed in making way through the surf, and come off to us ; 
but, at each attempt they made, and we saw them make several, their 
canoes were upset. At length, we perceived them to be leaving the 
beach, apparently abandoning the design. As I had no expectation 
of finding the vessel at this place, and hoped only to obtain informa- 
tion of her, I did not consider this object sufficient to justify the loss 
of another day, and consequently, at dark, bore away to the south- 
ward. 

Arriving at the Island of Goree the following day, we there ascer- 
tained that the vessel of which we were in pursuit was to leeward, 
most probably at the Isles de Los. Having remained twenty-four 
hours at Goree and obtained a supply of water and refreshments, we 
sailed for the Isles de Los, where we arrived without accident. But 
the vessel sought was not there, having left some weeks previous for 
Sierra Leone. When on the point of sailing for Sierra Leone, an 
arrival directly from thence, reported the vessel in question to have 
sailed the day before my informant for Goree. As the information 
appeared to be such as could be relied on, it was obvious that a 
return to Goree was the most judicious course. In conformity with 
this decision, we put to sea, after having passed forty-eight hours at 
the Isles de Los ; and on arriving at Goree found ourselves in 
advance of the vessel. The second day, however, after our arrival, 
she came in and anchored near us. 



GOREE. 251 

On going on board, and presenting to the master the letter from the 
owners, desiring him to deliver to me his cargo, and to take my 
instructions where to go to lade with a cargo of salt for the United 
States, he directly complied, and began the requisite preparation for 
shifting the cargo from one vessel to the other. The cargo, which 
consisted of ivory, wax, gold dust, and hides, was of great value, and 
would well justify the additional expense incurred to insure its safety. 

While engaged in transhipping the cargo into my vessel, an 
English brig-of-war arrived ; the captain of which, on ascertaining the 
object of my voyage, and probably suspecting that I possessed infor- 
mation relative to the critical state of affairs between England and 
the United States of which he was ignorant, concluded to take charge 
of my vessel, in the belief that such information might soon arrive as 
would make her a lawful prize. With this view, he put a midship- 
man on board, with directions not to put any obstacles in the way of 
our shifting the cargo from one vessel to the other, or taking on board 
that portion of the cargo, yet on shore, which had been prepared 
against the return of the vessel. When these labors were accom- 
plished, our water-casks filled, and every thing made ready for sea, 
there had been no arrival ; consequently, no information by which 
the captain could be governed in detaining us. I then wrote him a note, 
informing him, that I was ready for sea, and, as there existed no cause 
to justify our detention, I hoped he would withdraw the officer he had 
put on board, and allow me to proceed ; otherwise, I should feel it to 
be my duty to abandon the property, and take passage in a vessel 
then about sailing for England, to obtain redress. A few hours after 
the receipt of my letter, he sent me a verbal message that I might 
proceed, and at the same time took away the midshipman. No other 
obstacle occurring to prevent our departure, we sailed on our return ; 
our associate left at the same time for the river Gambia to lade with 
salt for home. 

Goree is an island of very small extent, and in itself is destitute of 
all resources, but its formation makes it easil}^ defensible against any 
force which the neighboring nations are capable of bringing to attack 
it. Its contiguity to the continent renders it a favorable place for the 
establishment of European trading factories, of which there are sev- 
eral. To these factories the negroes of the continent are in the 



^52 FOURTH VOYAGE. 

habit of bringing the produce of the countiy, consisting of wax, 
ivory, gold-dust, hides, &c., which they barter for European manu- 
factures and trinkets. Whilst the island was in possession of the 
French, from whom it had been taken, not many years since, the 
traffic in slaves was pursued to a great extent. The annihilation of 
this traffic, on the English becoming masters of the island, caused 
great discontent among the neighboring chiefs, who were thereby 
cut off from the principal source of their revenue, and hence were 
greatly dissatisfied with the change. 

I had an opportunity of seeing, at a merchant's house, three of 
those princes, who had come to the island in the hope, either by per- 
suasion or threats, to do away the prohibition, or to induce a conni- 
vance at it ; or to dispose of slaves, to be delivered at one of their 
own ports. They were all fine looking men, not less than six feet 
high, and well proportioned. Their costume was in barbaric style, 
tawdry and showy ; and they were decorated with bracelets and other 
ornaments of gold, peculiar to a savage people. Their side-arms 
were also much ornamented, and were probably very costly. When 
conversing with the merchant, on the subject which so much interest- 
ed them, and with whom in by-gone years they had done an exten- 
sive business, they were very earnest and animated. Their unvary- 
ing theme was the interdiction of trading in slaves, which, they 
alleged, on the score of humanity, should be done away with, as, 
otherwise, their only mode of proceeding with prisoners of war, 
would be to put them to death, which they seemed to have no hesita- 
tion in saying would be the consequence. They were aware that the 
authorities charged with the government of the island, had no power 
to alter the existing state of things, much less the merchant, with 
whom they were conversing ; but, as they had made similar observa 
tions to the Commandant of the place, they may have entertained the 
hope, that some representation might be made to the superior govern- 
ment, which would induce it to relax the severity of the law against 
the traffic in slaves. The threat of destroying the prisoners taken in 
war, unless they could be sold as slaves, is an argument which has 
been used by the advocates of the slave-trade, both white and black, 
throughout the whole extent of the slave coast. But the abettors of 
this most infamous traffic are as well aware as their opponents, that 



SAIL FOR THE UNITED STATES. 253 

ihe wars of Africa are, for the most part, waged for the purpose of 
obtaining prisoners to be sold to the slave-dealers ; and that when 
these are prevented pursuing their traffic, the principal cause of 
those wars, which have been productive of so great an amount of 
misery, and which have depopulated vast regions of country, will 
cease. 

Having sailed from Goree immediately on being released from the 
detention caused by his Majesty's brig, we proceeded with a fine 
wind and delightful weather for the United States. T.he passage 
proved uncommonly pleasant and rapid, and our invalid, no longer 
such, had derived all the benefit from the voyage which had been 
anticipated. During the passage the winds were so steady as to 
supersede the necessity of reefing a topsail, or even taking in a 
top-gallant sail ; and we arrived at Salem on the 7th of July, 
1808, having been absent only ninety-two days, and having accom- 
plished the object of the voyage to the entire satisfaction of all inter- 
ested in it. 

I had been flattering myself, that by the time I should return from 
Africa, something of a decisive character would have taken place in 
relation to our affairs with Great Britain ; either a cessation of the 
violation of the rights of neutrals, and the consequent raising the 
embargo, or the only honorable alternative, war. I perceived, how- 
ever, on landing, that neither of these events had occurred. The 
total suspension of all business at the wharves, and the gloomy coun- 
tenances of those who were unaccustomed to idleness, were but too 
convincing, that affairs had not changed for the better during my 
absence. The ordinary bustle of business, and its cheerfulness, had 
given place to a paralyzing inactivity, and a sombre foreboding, that 
a calamity, perhaps greater than that intended to be averted, might 
result from persisting in measures which were producing such distress 
and dissatisfaction in the maritime part of the community. 

Satisfied that neither of the alternatives, war or a cessation of the 
embargo, was likely soon to occur, and possessing neither means 
to justify, nor disposition to submit to inactivity, I determined to 
proceed to England ; and, without any definite object, to place 
myself in the current of business, and take my chance for a favor- 
able result. 

22 



254 FOURTH VOYAGE. 

With this view, heing provided, by a kind friend, with a credit on 
London, and accompanied by two companions, whose object was 
similar to mine, I took passage about the middle of August, 1808, for 
Halifax. Owing to adverse winds, our passage was tedious ; and we 
failed to reach there in time for the Falmouth packet. More than a 
fortnight elapsed before there was another opportunity for Europe ; 
and, during this period, we had abundant leisure for becoming 
acquainted with the localities of the place and its inhabitants. Any 
description o'f the former would be superfluous ; and I will onty 
remark of the latter, generally, that every opportunity which I had of 
conversing with intelligent people, led to the conclusion, that the 
rancorous hatred of the partisan loyalists existed, in full vigor, in their 
descendents, undiminished by the lapse of time, or the usually amel- 
iorating influence of commercial intercourse. The existing state of 
the political relations of the two countries may have operated to pro- 
duce a manifestation of hostile feeling, which would probably have 
been suppressed in less exciting times. But it was no place for a 
citizen of the United States to pass his time in agreeably. 

An opportunity presenting itself by a brig bound for Scotland, we 
left Halifax on the 10th of September, and arrived at Lochraine, in 
the Clyde, on the 4th of October, having made our passage in safety, 
although the daily inebriation of the captain and mate caused us to 
fear a different result. Indeed, we had abundant reason to exult in 
our good fortune in arriving at the time we did ; as, only a few days 
afterwards, occurred the equinoctial gale, which was uncommonly 
severe, causing such a number of shipwrecks, and such loss of lives, 
on the coasts of England and France, as had not occurred in any 
gale for a long period. We took the easy and independent convey- 
ance of a post chaise for London, a distance of about four hundred 
miles ; and, leaving Lochraine on the day of our arrival, were con- 
veyed to our destination in four days, with a degree of comfort and 
celerity, such as probably could not be experienced at the time in any 
other country in the world. 

Throughout the whole distance, our way lay through rich tracts of 
highly cultivated lands, interrupted, at intervals, by neat villages, and 
churches of venerable aspect. Occasionally, as we had a bird's-eye 
view from some hill, the divisions, formed by the neatly trimmed 



AKRIVE AT LONDON. 255 

hedges, the luxuriant fertility of the inclosures, an occasional clump 
of trees, and the rich verdure, as far as the eye could reach, gave to 
the whole the appearance of an immense and beautiful garden. There 
was nothing remarkable in the villages through which we passed, 
exceptmg in one, where 1 noticed an advertisement over the door of 
a house, stating, that it was the business of the occupant to show 
strangers the house, in which Sir Isaac Newton was born. Of the 
large towns in our route were Dumfries, Carlisle, Penrith, Newark, 
&c. The latter contains a fine Gothic Cathedral ; a door of which 
being open, we entered, for a few minutes, while our horses were 
changing, and heard a beautiful chant by some young performers, 
accompanied by a fine organ. 

Arriving at London, my first object w^as to ascertain the result of 
the appeal in the case of the Telemaco. It appeared that the agent 
of the captors had proposed to compromise, by returning one fourth 
the amount of the proceeds, on condition of relinquishing the prose- 
cution of the appeal. This proposition, after a consultation with that 
eminent jurist. Dr. Lawrence, w^as acceded to, by his advice ; and I 
accordingly received between three and four thousand dollars, for a 
property which cost forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars. The 
three fourths, or twelve thousand dollars, therefore, of my property, 
divided among the fleet, would give to the Admiral a sum so very 
small, as %vould hardly induce him, one would think, to violate the 
eighth commandment. 

The abundance of French wines, which had been brought, in prizes, 
into Plymouth, and their consequent cheapness, convinced me of the 
advantage which would result from a cargo of them taken to the Isle 
of France. While in doubt how I could accomplish this object, I 
accidentally met a friend, who had just arrived in a fine ship, for which 
he had no fixed destination. This was very a propos. On making 
known to him my views, and offering to take, on my account, one 
third of the adventure, with the charge of the enterprise, he readily 
agreed to it, provided that a clearance for that destination couid be 
obtained from the custom-house at London. Satisfactory information 
having been received on this point, the cargo w^as immediately pur- 
chased. When the ship was nearly ready to proceed to Plymouth, 
to take it on board, some new excise regulation was established, which 



256 FOURTH VOYAGE. 

would prevent our obtaining the requisite clearance ; and, as insurance 
could not be effected without this document, we were compelled, very 
reluctantly, to give up the plan. This disappointment was much 
mitigated by such an advance in the value of the wine, that, on a 
re-sale, the profit on my third part was more than sufficient to defray 
all my expenses in Europe, including upwards of one hundred pounds 
sterling for board, medical attendance, &c. in a pleurisy, with which 
I was seized at Exeter, when on my way to Plymouth. This was 
the first violent illness I had ever experienced ; and, for several days, 
the physician had such doubts of my recovery, that he considered it 
necessary to apprize my friends in London of my dangerous situation. 
To their kindness, in sending a skilful and efficient person to take 
care of me, I consider myself indebted for my recovery. 

About the middle of March J had recovered so far as to be able to 
go to London by easy stages, and found myself much benefited by 
tlie journey. But between two and three months were required to 
recruit my strength sufficiently to attend again to business. At the 
end of this period, having so far recovered as to be ready for new 
adventures, and perceiving that great profit would be derived by taking 
a cargo from Holland to the United States, I determined on making 
an effort to accomplish it. But to get to Holland, at this time, was not 
an easy matter. The rigorous measures which the continental pow- 
ers, under the control of Napoleon, were compelled to adopt for the 
interdiction of all intercourse with England, prevented any chance 
of success in attempting it in the regular and ordinary way ; and the 
danger was great in trying to elude the vigilance of the harpies, who 
were everywhere on the watch ; but the object seemed to be worth 
some risk. With these impressions, and accompanied by the friend 
who was associated with me in the purchase of the wine at Plymouth, 
we contracted with the skipper of a Dutch fishing-smack to land us 
on the coast of Holland. The weather was very fine, and the sea so 
smooth, that there was no impediment from the surf to landing any- 
where along the coast. Having approached the shore, and watched 
for some time, without hearing any noise, or seeing any patrol, we 
landed about eleven o'clock in the evening, having been instructed by 
the skipper what course to take for the Briile. Each carrying a little 
bundle, we made our way slowly and cautiously, in the direction 



MEET MR. SHALER. 257 

advised, over the uneven sand hills, without road or path, and in con- 
stant apprehension of being challenged by the patrol, until we arrived 
so near the Brille, as to hear the clock strike two, and the watchmen 
announce the hour. We then concealed ourselves in a hollow of the 
sand, and waited the approach of day. 

As the dawn began to break we were startled by a trampling sound 
approaching us ; whether it was a patrol or not, it was necessary to 
start up to avoid being trodden on. Our relief was great on discover- 
ing that it was only a boy driving some cows to pasture. The boy 
was greatly alarmed at the sight of two men emerging from the 
hollow of the sand bank, at such an hour, but we soon quieted him 
and obtained from him very useful directions for finding the tavern* 
We were received particularly well, both by the landlord and his wife, 
who were opposed to measures so ruinous to their business, and, con- 
sequently, were very ready to aid strangers in any way. They 
provided for us a most excellent breakfast, the relish for which can 
be best imagined by those who have had a similar preparation. 
When we had finished our repast, we repaired to the treckscliuyt, 
or canal boat, to which we had been directed by the landlord, and 
which was about leaving for the capital. We went on board among 
the mass of passengers, and were conducted without molestation to 
Amsterdam. We immediately perceived that the difference in the 
relative prices of the exports of Holland, there, and in the United 
States, was great in proportion to the embarrassments, which had 
existed in that commerce ; and as the British had given notice that 
a blockade would commence on the 1st of July, this difference would 
necessarily be increased. The inducement, therefore, to get a cargo 
out before that time was very great ; and, for this purpose, unusual 
exertions were made for us by an influential mercantile house, which 
were crowned with success. A ship was chartered, loaded, and des- 
patched for New York before the blockade commenced. She arrived 
there in safety, and our anticipations were fully realized in the result 
of the adventure. 

Having, as I expected, met my friend Shaler at Amsterdam, I was 

induced to give up taking passage in the ship I had chartered, in order 

to execute a plan upon which we had agreed, and which promised 

an immense result ; but this we were afterwards unfortunately com- 

32* 



258 vovmn voyage* 

pelled to abandon, in consequence of the combined obstacles, in addi- 
tion to the blockade, of the invasion of the Scheldt by a formidable 
force under Lord Chatham, and of a general embargo in Holland. 
This seemed to close all prospect of egress for me, excepting by- 
land, and led me to regret not having availed myself of the fine 
opportunity I had possessed for returning home in the ship I had 
despatched for New York. Fortunately for me, at this period, our 
minister to France, General Armstrong, was on a visit to Holland^ 
and, being desirous of sending despatches to the United States, 
obtained the release of the ship Montezuma, of Baltimore, from the 
effect of the embargo ; and she was immediately despatched for that 
city. In this ship I took passage as bearer of his Excellency's 
despatches. The ship being in ballast, there existed no cause of 
molestation from British cruisers ; from one of which, a frigate, we 
were boarded soon after leaving the port. Aware that an embargo 
existed in Holland, the boarding officer desired to be informed why 
we were released from its effects ? The captain replied, " By 
special permission of government, granted at the request of the 
American Minister, to take despatches to the United States, and,'^ 
pointing to me, " there. Sir, is the bearer of his Excellency's 
despatches." He then desired me to accompany the captain of the 
Montezuma on board the frigate, and take with me the despatches* 
This I declined. He then proposed sending the despatches by the 
captain. This I refused to do ; on which he threatened to use com- 
pulsion. During this altercation the frigate had neared us, when the 
officer hailed and informed the captain that there was a bearer of 
despatches on board. " Bring him and his despatches on board," 
was the order. The officer replied, " He says he will neithei" sur- 
render his despatches nor leave his ship, except by compulsion." 
'• Then let him stay and be damned,'* was the characteristic reply. 
The ship's papers having undergone the ordinary scrutiny, and 
being found to be in order, we were permitted to proceed ori our 
voyage. 

The passage was long and boisterous, and I had suffered greatly 
from the effects of a bilious fever, consequent, probably, on too 
early an exposure to the damp atmosphere of Holland, after my 
severe pleurisy in England. We arrived at Baltimore on the 3d of 



ARRIVE AT HOME. 259 

November, and, as I was too feeble to proceed to Wasbington with 
the despatches, I delivered them to the collector of the customs to 
forward. After staying a day or two at Baltimore to recruit, I pro- 
ceeded, by easy stages, to my long desired home, at Lancaster, 
Massachusetts, and arrived there on the 12th, greatly emaciated and 
in feeble health. 



CHAPTER XXL 



Necessity for seeking a milder Climate — Sail for Naples — Arrival there — Confisca- 
tion— Eome visited— Ship Margaret — Kefused a Passage in her — Disappointment 
— Her Loss — Buy the Nancy Ann — Sail with a License — Boarded hy an Enghsh 
Brig of War — Wrath of the Captain — Arrive at Lisbon— Sell my Wine there — 
Embargo — Eaised on the Eetreat of Massena— Sail for England — Arrive at 
Plymouth — Narrow Escape from Shipwi'eck— Standgate Creek— Arrive at Lon- 
don — Termination of my Charge. 



5ljF^iHiHH months had elapsed, between my 
leaving Boston for Halifax, and my arrival at Balti- 
more. During that time, although my efforts in 
business had been impeded by sickness, I had, 
nevertheless, cause to be satisfied with the progress 
I had made towards retrieving my affairs. But my 
constitution had received a shock, which it would 
require time and care to recover ; nor was it deemed 
prudent, that I should risk the effect of our rigorous 
climate, during the ensuing winter, but seek a more 
genial one in the south. As my finances were at too 
an ebb to do this without combining some business, that 
would offer a prospect of, at least, defraying my expenses, it 
was desirable to adopt some plan which would unite the two 
objects. 
A departure from the rigor of the continental system was begin- 
ning to be manifested. The King of Naples had opened his ports to 
neutral commerce, and with such appearance of good faith, that 
insurance on adventures there could be eflTected at a reasonable pre- 
mium. A voyage to Naples was therefore decided on; and, for this 
purpose, in company with a friend, I purchased the clipper-built 
schooner Maria, of one hundred and seventy tons, and took on board 




SAIL FOR NAPLES. 261 

a valuable cargo of various kinds of merchandise, belonging to mer- 
chants of Boston, on condition of receiving half the profits in lieu of 
freight. 

On the 3d of December, 1809, only one month from the day of 
my arrival at Baltimore, I again left my family and sailed from Bos- 
ton, in the Maria, for Naples. We arrived there in safety, after 
a very pleasant passage, and, as usual in the Mediterranean ports, 
were immediately subjected to quarantine. The information I receiv- 
ed from the merchant, to whom I had letters, was very gratifying and 
satisfactory. It appeared from this, that there was no article, of 
which our cargo was composed, that would not yield a profit of an 
hundred per cent, and some much more. The prospect, therefore, 
of making a brilliant voyage was very great, notwithstanding our 
numerous competitors; for there had now arrived, within a period 
of thirty days, between thirty and forty vessels from the United 
States, allured, like ourselves, by the flattering prospect present- 
ed on first opening the port, which had been so long closed to 
neutrals. 

While feeling ourselves in perfect security, and making those cal- 
culations on a great result, which the direct and well-founded infor- 
mation we had received warranted, and when only about two-thirds 
of our term of quarantine had expired, we had notice of there 
being rumors in the city that all the neutral property in port would 
be confiscated. These rumors were soon after followed by the 
seizure and sale of the cargoes of those vessels whose term of quar- 
antine had expired. Captures, confiscations, and burnings at sea, 
had all been experienced, by my countrymen, by the order of Napo- 
leon, or of some of his satellites. But to invite neutrals into port, 
with the assurance of protection, and then strip them of all their 
property, is a refinement in villany, in meanness, in baseness, in treach- 
ery, worthy only of the barbarous ages, and of which the civilized 
world afibrds no parallel. There could exist no doubt that my vessel 
and cargo were destined to share the fate of those mentioned, at the 
expiration of the quarantine, yet they neither unbent the sails, unhung 
the rudder, nor took any other precaution to prevent an escape, than 
to place a gun-boat at the mouth of the harbor. As we lay in the 
outer tier of the vessels, in a very favorable situation for going out, I 



262 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

should not have hesitated making the attempt but from the conviction, 

that, in case of failure, the insurance would be vitiated. The chance 
was as four to one in getting clear, yet, from the consideration above 
mentioned, I, with reluctance, gave it up. 

The government was so pressed for money, in order, as was generally 
supposed, to defray the expenses of a projected expedition to Calabria, 
that, in several instances, they did not wait for the regular expiration 
of the quarantine, but, contrary to all former example or precedent, 
made the pressure of circumstances an excuse for disregarding a law, 
the violation of which would be death to an individual. They took 
out the cargoes, and, without even any semblance of the formality 
of trial, sold them, together with the vessel, in the most hurried man- 
ner, and for prompt payment. In this unceremonious manner my 
vessel and cargo were taken from me, and not even a receipt given 
for them. 

The difference to the sufferer, between this mode of proceeding and 
that of a British West India Vice-Admiralty Court, is as greatly in 
favor of the first, as candor is preferable to cunning ; as a bold thief 
to a treacherous one. In the first case, there is no prostitution of 
common sense and common honesty, in seeking for a cause of con- 
fiscation, when already determined on, and, consequently, no expen- 
diture of time or money requisite, to secure the recovery of the insu- 
rance. In the second, there is a hypocritical pretence of seeking for 
justice, by the observance of the formality of trial, where, in nine 
instances out of ten, the case is prejudged, and where the unfortu- 
nate sufferer is stripped of his last farthing, by the insatiable cupidity 
of the rogues and harpies attached to the Vice- Admiralty Court, but 
to which he is compelled to submit, or incur the risk of losing the 
insurance. 

In this abominable transaction, there is no doubt the great mover 
was Napoleon, whose mandate Murat had not the moral courage to 
disobey, preferring the dishonor and infamy of such treachery, such 
violation of good faith, to the momentary resentment of the Emperor. 
There were, at Naples, a great number of people, who were desirous 
of possessing many articles of the various cargoes, but who were 
deterred from purchasing, at the government sales, from conscien- 



PREPARATIONS FOR LEAVING NAPLES. 263 

tious scruples, being convinced that " the receiver is as guilty as the 
thief." 

Having now no other care of property, than to provide for my per- 
sonal expenses, and finding no immediate opportunity for the United 
States, I employed my time in visiting the numerous objects of inter- 
est within a few miles circuit of this ancient city ; Pompeii, Hercula- 
neum, Caserta, Baise, Puzzuoli, Averno, Vesuvius, &c. I then went 
to E-ome, where I passed several weeks, and had an opportunity of 
seeing all the great objects of attraction, which have been celebrated 
for so many centuries, contained within the walls of the Eternal city ; 
and also of visiting Tivoli, Frescati, &c. All of which places and 
objects have been so repeatedly and well described, by professed 
authors and literary men of both hemispheres, that any extended 
account here would be superfluous. 

On my return to Naples I found, that some arrangement with the 
government had been made by Captain Fairfield, of the ship Marga- 
ret of Salem, by which that vessel would be permitted to proceed to 
the United States as a cartel ; and I was rejoiced at the prospect of so 
fine and ready an opportunity of returning home. Having charge 
of a valuable investment of Italian manufactures, I proposed to Cap- 
tain Fairfield to pay him an unusually high freight for them ; but 
from the apprehension that their quantity would prejudice the sale of 
his own investment more than would be balanced by any amount of 
freight that I could afford to pay, he positively declined. My disap- 
pointment was very great ; for, if I missed this opportunity, there 
was no certainty of any other for a long period ; yet, having taken 
charge of the property in question, it would have been a breach of 
trust to go without it. Those, who remember the melancholy fate of 
that ship, will perceive the providential escape that I experienced. 
She was upset at sea. A part of the men and passengers were 
saved in the boat, after great suffering ; a part perished on the wreck; 
and a few were rescued from it when near expiring. 

That I might not be entirely destitute of a resource for getting 
away, I had taken the precaution to write to London for a British 
license, to lade a vessel here for that place. This had arrived a few 
days after my failure of success with Captain Fairfield ; and, being 
provided with the requisite credit to enable me to use the license to 



^64 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

advantage, I purchased the brig Nancy Ann (one of the condemned 
American vessels,) and loaded her with a cargo of wine, raw silk, 
liquorice, rags, &dc. for London. The men, whom I employed in 
navigating this vessel, were just so many saved from the sufferings 
caused by the loss of the Margaret. No obstacle having been put in 
the way of the lading and departure of the Nancy Ann, we sailed not 
many days after the Margaret. Our passage down the Mediterra- 
nean was very smooth and pleasant. Nothing occurred to vary its 
monotony until we approached the straits of Gibraltar, when early, 
on a very fine morning, we observed a vessel to the eastward, under 
a crowd of sail, apparently in chase of us ; the wind being very light 
from the eastward. When the hull became visible, we perceived 
that a gun was occasionally fired ; but we kept on our course until 
the afternoon, when she had so neared us, that her shot fell within a 
cable's length astern. We then rounded to. A boat was immedi- 
ately sent to take me and my papers on board the brig of war ; for 
such was the vessel which had been chasing us so long. When the 
mighty man saw the documents, by authority of which I was screen- 
ed from English aggression, and which emanated from the same ' 
source as his own commission, and consequently, that he could not 
molest us, he cursed and swore at a tremendous rate, at our having, as 
he said, so unnecessarily led him so far out of his way. The Amer- 
icans, he observed, gave them more trouble than all other neutrals 
combined ; and for that which we had now given him, he swore he 
would send us in to Gibraltar. Some hasty order was then given, 
preparatory to the execution of that threat. But when the first ebul- 
lition of passion had passed, and this probably occurred the sooner 
for my making no reply, a moment's reflection convinced him, that, 
by so doing, he would incur the risk of some expense to himself 
without a chance of making us a prize. He therefore very reluc- 
tantly dismissed us to pursue our course, while he proceeded in an 
opposite direction. 

When off the rock of Lisbon, having the wind ahead, and a pilot- 
being near at hand, I concluded to enter the Tagus, and soon came 
to anchor near to Belem Castle. This was an important epoch in the 
annals of Lisbon. The French army, under Massena, were advancing 
with a confidence, inspired by the acknowledged talents and invariable 



ARRIVE AT LONDON. 265 

success of their commander. The combined English and Portuguese 
army had, deservedly, no less confidence in the skill and intrepidity 
of their commander, Sir Arthur Wellesley, whose line of defence, at 
Torres Vedras, could be forced only at the imminent risk of destruc- 
tion to the invading army. While the opposing armies remained in 
hostile array, the inhabitants of Lisbon were engaged in preparing 
their most valuable effects, in order to put them on board the British 
ships of war at a moment's notice ; and that no means of saving their 
property might be neglected, an embargo was laid on all vessels 
in port. Affairs remained in this critical state about ten days ; when 
information was received, that Massena declined hazarding an assault ; 
had abandoned his plan, and had begun his retreat. The embargo, 
in consequence, was immediately raised ; and tranquillity and peace 
were restored to the inhabitants. In the mean time, the Commissary 
of the army had applied to purchase the wine, composing a part of 
my cargo ; and it was disposed of to him very advantageously. 
Having passed a fortnight at Lisbon, I took advantage of a convoy 
bound to England, of about a dozen sail, protected by a frigate. 
Arriving safely in the channel, I parted with them in sight of the 
Eddy-stone, and went into Plymouth, while they pursued their course 
to the eastward. The winter was one of uncommon severity ; and 
the frequent violent gales were very destructive to the shipping. 
We had been anchored scarcely twenty-four hours in Plymouth roads, 
before experiencing a gale, which nearly proved fatal to ship and 
crew. We lost two anchors : and but for the adroit management of 
a skilful pilot, who had remained on board, and conducted us to an 
inner harbor, the voyage would have ended disastrously. 

I had hoped, that, as respected myself, the voyage would terminate 
here, and that I should be relieved from further winter navigation in 
the channel. Not so ; it was necessary that the vessel should proceed 
to London ; before which, we should be obliged to pass some days in 
quarantine at Standgate Creek. It appeared, that neither our having 
been so long at Lisbon, and having ventilated the ship, by discharg- 
ing the bulk of the cargo, nor our remaining any length of time at 
Plymouth, would tend to diminish a day of the number prescribed for 
vessels from the Mediterranean. We hastened, therefore, to arrive 
there, and succeeded without the occurrence of any mishap. In this 
23 



266 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

truly dreary place, in cold winter weather, and without a fire in the 
cabin, I was compelled to pass ten days of more tardy progress than 
I ever experienced before. The day of our release from this detesta- 
ble place was one of jubilee to all on board. The vessel and cargo 
were delivered to the agent at London, where I remained through 
the winter. 



CHAPTER XXII 



Buy a Vessel and Cargo — Sail for Copenhagen — Wrecked on Jutland — Save the 
Cargo — Honest Character of the People — Arrive at Copenhagen — Send an Agent 
to take Charge of the Cargo — French Privateer at Elsineur — Go to Eiga and hack 
— Import a Cargo from London — Seized at Copenhagen — Eeleased too Late — 
Frozen Up — Proceed to Hambui-gh — Bombardment — Capitulation — General 
Hogendorf — His Civihty — Proceed to Paris — To Nantz — To Bordeaux — Embark 
in a Clipper — Pass thi-ough an English Fleet of Merchantmen — Their Dismay — 
Often chased, particularly on our own Coast— Great Superiority of Sailing — Ar- 
rive at New York. 




JB^^MJiB waiting without employment at London, 
in the hope that some event would occur in 
which I might exert my energies, a little vessel 
laden with wine, arrived from Naples, to the 
address of my friend. This I could obtain, on 
terms which were within my compass ; and knowing 
the demand for such kind of wine in Denmark, I 
purchased the vessel and cargo for that destination. 
The safety of the voyage depended on our entering 
direct from Naples without having stopped at any inter- 
mediate port ; hence the necessity of engaging the same 
master to proceed in her, and of avoiding any delay in the 
^- Thames. Having succeeded in engaging the master and 
crew, who came from Naples in the vessel, to proceed in 
^' ^' ^ her to Denmark, and erased from the log-book the notice of 
her havino- touched in England, I embarked as supercargo from Na- 
ples. Being all ready, about the middle of August, 1811, we put to 
sea takincr a good departure from Orfordness Lights on Thursday 
night. The wind was from the westward, and blew a strong breeze 
during the night and following day. On Friday and Saturday the 
wind continued favorable. Towards night the wind and sea increased 



268 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

with very dark weather and occasional squalls. As the captain sup- 
posed himself to be fifty or sixty miles from the nearest land, and as 
the darkness at this season lasted only seven hours, I went to bed 
with entire confidence in our safety, and in the belief that we should 
not get sight of the land before eight or ten o'clock next morning. 
But the event showed that our calculations were so erroneous as to be 
accounted for only by a strong current. At dawn, on Sunday morn- 
ing, I was roused from my slumbers by the hard thumping of the 
vessel, and the roaring of the breakers in which we were enveloped. 
The water was passing down the companion-way in torrents ; and 
watching an opportunity, I succeeded in getting on deck, though not 
without a complete drenching. The vessel lay broadside to the sea, 
which broke high over her ; she, however, having heeled in shore, 
afforded us some shelter. She soon bilged, and having become water- 
logged, lay comparatively quiet ; and as the tide soon fell so as to 
leave her dry, we all landed on the beach of Jutland, in safety. 

No sooner was it daylight, than the inhabitants came to us in great 
numbers ; and as it was obvious that saving the cargo depended on 
the best improvement of the time, before the return of the tide, as 
many were engaged as could work to any advantage, under the direc- 
tion of men appointed by authority to act on such emergencies. The 
tide had not ebbed more than a foot at the time the vessel struck, so 
that the opportunity of saving the cargo was very favorable. The 
day was fine, and enabled us to dry our clothes. In this process, 
although our various wardrobes were extended over the beach, and 
might easily have been purloined, and although there were many 
persons about us, apparently in very indigent circumstances, we lost 
nothing. The operation of discharging the cargo being so systema- 
tized, that the labor of each one was applied to the greatest advan- 
tage, they had so nearly accomplished the unlading, before the tide 
again flowed into the vessel, as to secure the safety of the entire 
cargo. It was not until the fourth day after being wrecked, that I 
could obtain a passport to proceed to Copenhagen ; as the magistrate 
examined each individual separately relative to the origin and object 
of the voyage, and with great care, and thus became acquainted with 
our being last from England. A seizure of the whole property was 
the consequence. Having obtained my passport, a fatiguing jour- 



COPENHAGEN. 269 

ney of three days and nights, over a rough road, brought me to the 
Danish capital. 

As soon as the authorities at Copenhagen were made acquainted 
with the circumstances of the case, an order was given for the release 
of the property, and an agent from the house of Ryberg & Co. was 
despatched to take charge of it. One fourth of the cargo being award- 
ed as salvage, the other three were sold on the strand, at a great 
profit, and the vessel was sold for the benefit of the underwriters. 
This disaster, which, at the moment, caused me great pain and disap- 
pointment, proved to be a circumstance of great good fortune ; for, 
had we proceeded on our course, without interruption, we should 
have gone directly into the hands of a French privateer, then lying 
at Elsineur, ready to pounce upon every defenceless neutral that 
came in her way. At that period, condemnation was sure to succeed 
a French capture, on the slightest pretext. There would, conse- 
quently, have been no chance of escape for a vessel directly from 
England. 

As soon as my affairs in Jutland were brought to a close, the pro- 
ceeds were anticipated and invested in an adventure to Riga, to 
procure a cargo, then much wanted at Copenhagen. I was secured 
against the Danish privateers, then swarming in the Baltic, by a license 
from the King. This voyage was completed satisfactorily by a safe 
return, in November, 1811, and with a small profit. During the 
ensuing winter, I remained at Copenhagen, and engaged in shipping 
several cargoes of grain to England from Holstein ; and in importa- 
tions thence, under licenses from the two governments, from which 
some benefit was derived. 

The succeeding summer was one of surpassing interest and excite- 
ment. Information had reached us of the declaration of war by the 
government of the United States against Great Britain. A circum- 
stance, forboding events of the most thrilling character ; some of 
which soon followed that information ; such as the surrender of De- 
troit to the enemy, and the triumph over the boasted invincibility of 
British ships of war, in the capture of the frigate Guerriere by the 
Constitution. But what bearing was this new state of things to have 
on my prospects ? And what advantage could be made of them to 
further my views ? were questions of no easy solution. A barrier 
23* 



1270 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

seemed to be placed to my return home, in any other than the 
expensive way of proceeding to France. Nothing short of the pros- 
pect of bettering my fortune, would justify prolonging my stay in 
Europe ; and this prospect was so good, if certain obstacles could be 
overcome, that I determined on making the attempt. 

The protracted and accumulated restrictions on all neutral com- 
merce, and the interdiction of all intercourse between England and 
France, had caused such an accumulation of every description of 
merchandise, in the store-houses of the former, as to reduce their 
prices greatly below the ordinary standard. The same causes had 
operated, in an adverse ratio, in France. Hence the difference in the 
relative prices of many articles of merchandise in the two countries, 
was so enormous as to be almost incredible. It was obvious, then, 
that the introduction of a cargo into France from England was an 
object worthy of great efforts ; one which would justify the incurring 
of great risks, and would require the aid of influential men in office. 
To elude the rigor of the continental system was an achievement of 
no ordinary magnitude, and could only be done by means of licenses, 
and in so circuitous a manner, as to escape the vigilance of the 
French Douaniers. 

After great difficulty and delay, and a most laudable perseverance, 
our agent at Paris succeeded in obtaining a license for the introduc- 
tion of a cargo from Copenhagen into Hamburgh via Kiel, to be 
accompanied with certificates, that the articles composing it were the 
product of Danish industry and commerce. This first and great diffi- 
culty overcome, the next measure was much easier ; to obtain from 
the Danish government a license for the introduction into Copenhagen 
of a cargo from England. This was granted, on condition of except- 
ing all articles unaccompanied with properly authenticated certificates 
of neutral origin. As there existed no apprehension of any embar- 
rassment from the English government, the requisite measures were 
taken to have shipped at London, such a cargo as was in greatest 
demand, at its place of destination. 

This adventure arrived safely at Copenhagen, in June, and we 
could immediately have obtained a very great advance on its cost ; 
but the prospect was so much greater at Hamburgh, the place of its 
destination, that the maxim of the *' bird in the hand," fcc. did not 



VESSEL SEIZED. 271 

seem applicable to this case. While engaged in unlading the cargo, 
preparatory to its being re-laden in the Danish coasters destined for 
Kiel, we were arrested in our progress, and confounded by one of 
those difficulties, which could not be foreseen or imagined. It arose 
from the circumstance of my associate in the adventure having been 
a British subject. He was one of the proscribed Irish, and was 
among those engaged in the battle of Vinegar Hill. Since that period 
he had been engaged in the mercantile business on the continent, and 
during the two last years had resided at Copenhagen. Some malicious 
or envious person denounced him to the government as an English 
subject ; and declared, moreover, that the property he represented 
was English. In consequence of this, the property was seized, and 
an investigation instituted, which was prolonged in a manner worthy 
of the tribunals of Spain. 

There was a fatality attending this adventure which was very 
remarkable. Its possession could be no object to the government, 
nor had we any serious apprehension of its eventual confiscation ; 
yet, there seemed to be an unaccountable disposition to procrastinate. 
The government, hitherto, had paid great deference to the representa-^ 
tions of our worthy Charge d' Affaires, and in attempting to procure 
the release of this property, he exerted himself with as much zeal 
and earnestness as if it had been his ov/n, but ineffectually. Even 
a proposal for its release, on giving bonds, was refused. Month after 
month passed away, and we saw the season rapidly approaching, 
which would stop the intercourse, by water, between Copenhagen and 
Kiel, without the power of doing any thing. At length, it was dis- 
covered that the property had been unjustifiably kept from its ov/ners, 
and consequently it was restored to them. But, unfortunately, the 
time had gone by when such decision would have been most import- 
ant to us, for it was now the middle of October. Nevertheless, if 
the winter did not set in this year earlier than it did the last, we might 
succeed in transporting our cargo to Kiel. 

No exertions were spared for the accomplishm.ent of this desirable 
object, but we were destined to meet with continued disappointments. 
One of the coasting vessels had part of a cargo on board to be dis- 
charged before lading ours ; another had some little repairs to make, 
and no one was procurable that would engage in the business, with 



272 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

the spirit that the case so imperiously demanded. The consequence 
was as we had dreaded ; the cold weather commenced six weeks 
earlier than it had done the last year. By the time the vessels had 
completed their lading, they were fast enclosed in the ice, and so 
remained during the winter. Still, though this was a disappointment, 
as it would greatly retard the realization of our expectations, yet there 
existed no cause then to apprehend any depreciation in the value of 
the property in the ensuing spring. 

Before Napoleon had experienced any check in his victorious 
career, a mercantile adventure, predicated on the maintenance of his 
supremacy, would have been considered a safe one ; but Napoleon's 
power proved itself weakness when contending with the elements. 
The severe weather, which had been so prejudicial to my operations, 
continuing to increase as the winter advanced, will long be remem- 
bered, by its terrible disastrous effects on the French army in Russia. 
The destruction of this army was a death-blow to the continental sys- 
tem, and, of course, to all my fair prospects founded on its continu- 
ance. 

The spring of 1813 opened with an emancipation of Europe from 
the tyranny of Napoleon. His Russian campaign had been so terribly 
disastrous, that even the fertility of his great mind was unequal to 
providing other remedy than such as deferred his prostration a few 
months. The prospect of the ordinary channels of commerce being 
once more opened, produced its natural effect on all merchandise at 
Hamburgh ; prices were nominal ; there was no sale for any thing ; 
everybody was anxiously waiting the denouement of the grand drama. 
Under such circumstances, it is almost needless to say, that all my 
hopes from the adventure, with which I had been so long occupied, 
were destroyed. This adventure, had it reached Hamburgh in time, 
.would have yielded a profit of several hundred per cent., and secured 
to me independence ; but, when it did arrive there, its value was 
reduced below the original cost, and finally wound up with very con- 
siderable loss. 

To bring my affairs to a close with the least possible sacrifice, 
necessarily consumed a considerable portion of the summer. During 
this period the city exhibited on a small scale, and for many days in 
succession, the turmoil, activity, and excitement, incident to being 



HAMBURGH. 273 

besieged. The French were attempting to regain possession of it, 
by a bombardment from the opposite bank of the river, and by- 
repeated efforts, in the nights, to transport a body of troops across. 
Their means of annoyance by shells, however, were very feeble, and 
in their attempts to cross the river they were invariably foiled. The 
city was defended by its own militia, who fought bravely, and like 
men who feel that every thing is at stake, which is worth defending. 
These were supported by a well-disciplined body of Danish regular 
troops, and by a small number of Russians ; the whole commanded 
by a Russian General. In this state of affairs, none were exempted 
from bearing arms, not even strangers, as was evinced in my own 
person ; for, being led by curiosity to a point where I heard much 
firing, I was arrested by a patrol, on the look-out for stragglers, and 
marched into an enclosure where were many others in the same pre- 
dicament. To all of us muskets and ammunition were furnished, and 
here we were kept inactive throughout the day, as a corps de reserve. 
Towards sunset, on a cessation of the attack, we were all released, 
to our great joy, as we had had nothing to eat all day. While the 
citizens of Hamburgh were rejoicing at the success of their arms 
thus far, and encouraged to persevere in foiling the continual attacks 
of the opposing forces, in order to save themselves from the dreaded 
domination of the French, they were all suddenly confounded and 
dismayed by an order from the King of Denmark for the withdrawal 
of his troops ; an order, understood to be in consequence of the 
failure of some negotiation of Count Bernstorff with the British 
Cabinet. 

As the principal means of resistance was thus withdrawn, and the 
remainder were incompetent to justify a longer defence, the author- 
ities determined on capitulating while they were yet in a position to 
secure advantageous terms. Accordingly, the Russian General with 
his troops, withdrew towards the north ; the capitulation was con- 
summated, and the French became once more masters of Ham.burgh. 
After a few days, when the garrison was quartered, the police regula- 
ted, and the quiet of military despotism reigned within the city, a 
procession was formed, composed of the soldiers, and headed by 
Marshal Davoust and his staff, in their splendid habiliments, which 
proceeded to the little St. Michael's church, to aid in the performance 



274 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

of a Te Deum, in gratitude to the Supreme Ruler of the universe, for 
giving that success to their arms, which had placed in their power an 
unoffending people, whose property they intended to plunder by heavy 
taxation, and whose sons they intended to enslave, by making them 
conscripts. " tempora ! O mores ! " Only a few weeks after 
gaining possession of the city, the French, in their turn, were 
besieged by the Russians, Cossacks, and Swedes, and this was the 
state of affairs when I left the city. 

Having at length brought my business to a close at Hamburgh, and 
perceiving no course that I could pursue for retrieving my fortune in 
Europe, in which there was not great risk, I determined to proceed 
forthwith to the United States, and there endeavor to obtain the com- 
mand of a letter of marque for a voyage to China or the Pacific. 
As the best course for getting most expeditiously to the United States, 
was evidently via France, I applied to the French commander of the 
city. General Hogendorf, for a passport. The General, I found, 
spoke English perfectly well. He was very civil and affable, and 
desired his secretary not to delay providing me with the passport I 
asked. He observed to me, that I should run a great risk of being 
taken and robbed by the Cossacks, who, he said, were very numerous 
in the vicinity. On the fall of the fortunes of Napoleon, this officer 
retired to the interior of Brazil, where he passed several years in 
obscurity, engaged in the humble occupation of collecting and pre- 
serving insects, until his death, which occurred there only a few 
years since. One of the regular government couriers, who have the 
privilege of taking any person with them, being about to start for 
Paris,' I obtained a seat with him. The car for our conveyance was 
a most uncouth vehicle ; it had two wheels only, and being fixed on 
the axletrec, had no spring ; consequently, the jarring in many places, 
over rough roads, was excessive ; but the advantage, night and day, 
of never having to wait longer for horses than the time requisite for 
changing them, was great ; although it gave us no other chance to 
sleep or eat, than while on our way. We fortunately escaped the 
Cossacks, and arrived at Brussels in safety; but so excessively 
fatigued, that I was glad to rest a day or two there, and to depend on 
the diligence for conveying me the remainder of the journey. 

Arriving at Paris in October, I learned that a fast-sailing ship 



LEAVE FRANCE. 275 

would leave Nantes for the United States, in about three weeks. 
After passing a fortnight at Paris, I took the diligence for Nantes, to 
examine the ship in question. She was a beautiful vessel, and was 
represented to be a very swift sailer ; but, it was obvious, that the 
chance of escape for such a vessel, under equal circumstances, would 
be less than that of a Baltimore clipper, and I therefore delayed 
engaging a passage until I should hear from Bordeaux, in answer to 
my inquiries on the subject. This information was soon received, 
and was such as determined me to proceed there. I arrived there just 
in time to secure a passage in a vessel, which might have served Mr. 
Cooper for his description of the Water Witch ; for she was like that 
portrait in every point. Her commander. Captain Isaacs, was a most 
experienced and accomplished seaman, and admirably qualified for 
such a command. With such a combination, I felt no less confidence 
in making our passage safely, than I should have done in a time of 
profound peace. 

At dawn, on the second morning after leaving the Cordovan, we found 
ourselves in the midst of a fleet of merchant vessels, which were 
steering to the south. The confusion which such a suspicious and 
unwelcome apparition caused among them was very great, and to us, 
very amusing. Some of those astern, lay by, unwilling to approach 
us ; others let run their mainsail, or brailed up their spankers, and 
wore round on the opposite tack ; those that were ahead crowded all 
sail, to increase the distance from us, and spread out, that there might 
be more chance of escape for some. They were evidently English 
vessels, though they showed no colors, and their convoy, if they had 
any, was not in sight. If we had been prepared with the requisite 
number of men, we could have taken and conveyed to Bordeaux, 
almost any number of them ; but, neither the strength of our ship's 
company, the instructions to our commander, or the object of the 
voyage, would justify our making captures ; hence, we did not deviate 
from our course, but proceeded on to the westward, leaving our fright- 
ened neighbors astonished at finding themselves unmolested. 

During the passage, we were chased a number of times ; and once, 
at early dawn, on our own coast, we perceived a frigate almost within 
gun-shot of us. With a fine, brisk breeze, she crowded all sail in 
chase of us ; but we had soon convincing evidence of our great 



276 FIFTH VOYAGE. 

superiority in sailing, as, before noon, although persisting in the pur- 
suit, her hull was not visible from our deck. The next day, the 1st 
of January, 1814, we arrived safely at New York. 

Four years had now elapsed since my departure from Boston, in 
the schooner Maria for Naples, and during that period, it will have 
been seen, that no efforts were spared, no deficiency of perseverance 
evinced, and no opportunity allowed to pass unembraced, which pre- 
sented the prospect of bettering my fortune. What I attempted, and 
with what unfortunate results, are detailed in the few preceding pages. 

I was once again landed on my native shore, in good health, and 
with an empty purse ; but buoyed above the immediate pressure of 
such accumulated disappointments, by indulging the pleasing antici- 
pation of, at least, a short repose in the bosom of my family. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



Invited to take Charge of a Voyage to Teneriffe and Batavia — Sail from Salem in 
Ship Exeter — Dismasted — Kepair the Damages — Arrive at Teneriffe — Bad Eoad- 
stead of Orotava — Quarantine — Mr. Little — His Hospitality and Benevolence — 
Sail from Orotava — Cape Verde Islands — Land at Tristan d'Acunha — Procure 
Fish and Potatoes — Jonathan Lambert — Arrive at, and sail from, the Cape of 
Good Hope — Island of Amsterdam — Arrive at Batavia — Governors — ilr. Watt 
— Lade the Ship and put to Sea — Lose two Men — Arrive at the Isle of France — 
Exchange Produce — Sail for Home— St. Helena — Warned off — Finish the Voy- 
age by ai-riving at Boston. 



'^ — - ""■' '^^ disastrous result of my long-continued efforts 
in Europe had deprived me of that independence, 
which I had so early desired, and, for a course of 
years, had so successfully realized. I was now 
under the necessity of accepting employment from 
any of my more fortunate fellow-citizens, who 
might desire my services. 
Soon after the negotiation at Ghent, and the promulga- 
tion of peace, I was invited by some of my Salem 
friends, to make a voyage to Teneriffe and Batavia ; an 
enterprise, which, within my recollection, was viewed as 
VS'one of untried and doubtful accomplishment, requiring in 
i¥S^ the commander uncommon skill, perseverance, and tact ; but 
^V^^^^*^ which, at this time, 1815, is of such every-day occurrence, 
that I am only induced to narrate mine from the consideration 
that its omission would leave a chasm in the story, which may be 
viewed as unimportant, or otherwise, according to the different tastes 
of the readers. 

Late in the month of July, 1815, I sailed from Salem in the ship 
Exeter, bound to Teneriffe and Batavia. The ship, which was about 
24 




278 SIXTH VOYAGE. 

three hundred tons, was of a clumsy construction, and, being sheath- 
ed with wood, gave us a prospect of long and tedious passages ; but 
the liberality of the owners more than compensated for the additional 
time requisite for the performance of the voyage. t 

To meet with an accident in a well-rigged ship, while crossing the 
Atlantic in summer time, seemed hardly within the bounds of possi- 
bility ; yet we did not escape. The first ten days after our departure, 
f we had experienced only the light and baffling winds, which are 
peculiar at this season of the year, and, consequently, had made lit- 
tle progress on our way ; but, on the eleventh day, we had a fine 
breeze from south-south-west, which gave us the cheering encourage- 
ment of making up for lost time. With top gallant-sails set over 
whole topsails, a foretopmast studdingsail, the sea tolerably smooth, 
and going at the rate of only eight knots an hour, in an instant, all 
three topmasts snapped off close to the caps, and came down with a 
tremendous crash ; the topsail-yards making sad havoc with the 
courses. The ship being now deprived of her propelling force, lay 
like a log on the water ; and the sea being smooth, enabled us to 
save all the rigging, sails, and spars. It was a most fortunate circum- 
stance, that no man was aloft at the time, and that none were hurt by 
the fall of the spars and rigging ; for, even with the united energies 
of all, to bring order out of such a chaos was a laborious task. The 
men, however, went about the work cheerfully ; and, under the direc- 
tion of an excellent chief officer, with great diligence and exertion, 
we had our three topsails and courses repaired and set in three days 
after the misfortune. It may be inquired, to what I attribute so 
unusual an accident ; for unusual it really was at such a time. I can 
think of no other cause than that of the spars' being weakened by 
exposure to alternate wet and dry weather, while the ship was hauled 
up during the whole of the last war with England. We were able to 
substitute good fore and mizzen topmasts for those lost ; but the main 
one did not admit of carrying hard sail. Notwithstanding this 
disaster, we were up with the western islands, passing between Ter- 
ceiro and St. Michael's on the 11th of August, saw Madeira on the 
21st, and arrived at Orotava on the 26th. The day before arriving, and 
while nearly becalmed, in sight of the Pic of Teneriffe, seeing some- 
thing on the water, a short distance from us, which appeared like a 



MR. LITTLE. 279 

cask, we lowered the boat, and towed it alongside. On taking it on 
board, it proved to be a hogshead of fine old Jamaica spirit. It 
must have been a long time in the water, as it was covered with bar- 
nacles. 

Of all the uncomfortable roadsteads in which it has been my 
chance to load a ship, that of Orotava is the worst. Anchored in 
fifty-five fathoms of water, with the ship rolling more than when at 
sea, we are doomed to eight days' quarantine. In the mean time, the 
wine is prepared to take on board as soon as the quarantine expires. 
At any time and place, such delays are excessively provoking and 
tedious ; but, in such a roadstead as this, the fatigue and ennui amount 
nearly to a state of torture. The eight days, however, were passed 
without accident ; and immediately on their completion, I received a 
polite invitation from Mr. Little (the merchant from whom I received 
my cargo,) to dine with him, and to take up my quarters at his house, 
for the little time that remained while lading the wine, which I very 
readily accepted. 

This gentleman and accomplished merchant is successor to the 
house of Pasley, long famed for its honorable mode of conducting 
business ; a fame which is in no degree less merited by the present 
house. The hospitality of Mr. Little is acknowledged by all who visit 
the place ; and he has given such evidence of his philanthropy and 
benevolence, as to be honorably noticed by the king. During the 
prevalence of the yellow fever in the island, when all were flying 
who possessed the means, he remained ; and, by the judicious appli- 
cation of pecuniary aid, by the encouragement of his presence, and 
by his personal assistance, he probably saved the lives of hundreds, 
though at the most imminent risk, as he barely escaped being a mar- 
tyr to his humanity. 

On the 3d of September, having completed our lading, and taken 
leave of my kind host, I went on board, and prepared to go to sea ; 
but we soon perceived, that, with an ordinary windlass, the united 
force of our crew was insufiicient to heave up the anchor, with such 
a weight of cable in addition ; and we were compelled to avail our- 
selves of the services of the men who came off with me. Even 
with this aid, we were a long time getting our anchor ; but the task 
was at length accomplished. The boat, with the foreigners, left us. 



280 SIXTH VOYAGE. 

We made sail ; and every one on board was rejoiced to leave a place 
which was so exceedingly uncomfortable. 

On our way to the south, we passed between the Cape de Verde 
Islands, and not far to windward of Fogo ; crossed the equator in the 
usual longitude, and, making our way with all diligence to the south- 
ward, the next land we saw was Tristan d'Acunha. As we could 
touch at this island without much loss of time, I determined to do so. 
Accordingly, approaching the north-west end we saw a smoke, and, 
when within about a mile of it, I sent the boat ashore with directions 
to ascertain who were the inhabitants, to procure from them whatever 
eatables they might have to spare, and to be absent no longer than 
was necessary for the accomplishment of these purposes, — the ship, 
in the mean time, lying off and on under easy sail. After an 
absence of about four hours, the boat returned with a good supply of 
excellent potatoes and a plenty of very fine fish. The officer report- 
ed, that there were only three men on the island, who appeared to be 
Portuguese or Italians, and on inquiring of them what had become of 
Lambert, they said he had been drowned, with others, in attempting 
to go to Inaccessible Island. 

Jonathan Lambert was a native of Salem and a school-mate of mine. 
He was a man of good capacity and much eccentricity. Having been 
unsuccessful in his endeavors by navigation to acquire a competency, 
and being disgusted with commerce and with the world, he formed 
the project of establishing himself on this island, which, from its 
healthy climate, virgin soil, and being in the track of vessels 
bound to India, might be made an object of attraction to such as were 
in want of supplies. Accordingly, with several others of no less 
desperate fortune than himself, but very inferior in point of educa- 
tion and capacity, he landed on the island ; and when they had pro- 
duced enough for the supply of ships, he caused a notice thereof to 
be published in the Boston papers, inviting ships to stop and obtain 
such refreshments as he could supply. Not long after this, it was 
reported, that he had perished in attempting to go to Inaccessible 
Island ; but, as he was of an irritable, tyrannical temper, his friends 
have supposed it to be more probable that his comrades, unable to 
bear with it, had put him out of existence. 



ARRIVE AT BAT AVI A. 281 

As our main-topmast could not be depended on, and we were often 
compelled to lessen the sail on it, to the prejudice of our passage, I 
concluded it would be a saving of time to stop at the Cape of Good 
Hope and procure a new one. This we did, and sailed again for the 
eastward, after a detention of four days. The only deviation we 
experienced from the accustomed monotony of such a passage, was 
that of lying by near the Island of Amsterdam, and, in the course of 
an hour, nearly loading our boat with excellent fish. They were 
about the size of the cod, and had some resemblance to that fish. 
At length, on the 31st of January, 1816, we came to anchor in Bata- 
via Roads, nearly six months from the time of our departure from 
Salem. 

The havoc, which in former voyages I had seen made in ship's 
companies by the fever, which is more or less prevalent at this place 
at all seasons of the year, induced me to take uncommon precautions 
to preserve the health of my men. With this view, I hired natives 
to go in the boats, to hoist in the cargo, and to perform all such 
duties as would cause an exposure to the sun. My men were seldom 
allowed to go on shore, and when occasionally such permission was 
granted, they refrained from the usual practice of seamen, of drinking 
to excess, although no alcohol was provided for them on board ship. 
The consequence was, that, though we were nearly two months in 
port, we had no man sick during that time. 

While at Batavia, both the English and Dutch Governors were 
present ; the former. Sir Stamford Rafiles, then surrendering the 
command of the Island to the person appointed by the government 
of the Netherlands to receive it. The revulsions in the price of pro- 
duce, caused by the sudden changes in the political state of the country, 
had been taken advantage of by some of the foreign residents,by which 
they acquired great fortunes. Among the number, I was much grat- 
ified to find my friend Mr. Watt, a worthy young Scotchm.an, who 
was Captain's clerk in the ship Cronberg, in which I was a passenger 
and freighter from the Isle of France to Denmark, in the year 1801. 
At that period, as respects property, he was a poor man, but rich in 
intellect and commercial sagacity, of which he gave evidence in 
availing himself of the opportunities as they presented themselves of 
acquiring a fortune, greater than is often gained in a long and indus- 
24* 



SS2 SiXttt VOYAGE. 

trious life ; but the enjoyment of it was not permitted him. Bdfoi'e 
embarking for Europe he had imbibed the seeds of disease, and, sick- 
ening on the passage, died at the Cape of Good Hope. 

Having accomplished my business at Batavia, by lading the ship 
with coffee and sugar, and not meeting a sale for the wine I had 
brought from Teneriffe, I determined to stop at the Isle of France in 
the hope of being able to dispose of it there. Accordingly, about 
the middle of March, I left Batavia Roads, exulting in the circum- 
stance of having had no one sick during my stay there, and of leav-> 
ing the place with the crew in as good health as on the day of their 
arrival. But my exultation was but of short duration, for no sooner 
had we passed Java head and were in the open sea, where I supposed 
the danger of sickness no longer existed, than three of my men 
Were seized violently and almost simultaneously with fever. Only 
One of the three recovered ; the other two lived but a few days 
after being attacked. These were the first and only men I ever lost 
by sickness, and their death and burial spread a sadness over their 
surviving shipmates, of which some traces remained even to the end 
of the passage. 

The trade wind, which we took immediately after passing Java 
Head, continued so steady and strong as to carry us to the Isle of 
Prance in thirty-two days, which was a fine passage for our ship. 
From the two long visits, which I had made to this place in 1794 and 
in 1800, I was as familiar with its localities as if it had been my 
home. These, on my present visit, were unchanged, but these were 
all that remained unchanged. Since I last left the place, it had 
become a colony of the English by conquest. English government 
and laws had superseded those of France ; and English manners, 
customs, and modes of doing business, were gradually making 
encroachments on those of the French inhabitants, which is not 
unusual with a subjugated people when their conquerors are generous 
and conciliating. 

It was soon apparent, that an immediate sale of my wine could 
not be made, nor was the object sufficiently important to detain 
the ship. I therefore placed it in the hands of a merchant, and 
received from him an amount of the produce of the island, equal to 
what he estimated the wine would sell for ; and this occupied about 



ARRIVE AT BOSTON. SbJi 

the Space in the ship, which the wine had done. These interchanges 
being accomplished, we left the Isle of France, towards the last of 
April, for home. 

The passage round the Cape and thence to Boston was a continued 
series of fair winds and pleasant weather ; and the only incident, 
which occurred to break in upon the monotony of such a passage, 
was thai of being boarded, when in sight of St. Flelena, by an Eng- 
lish brig of war, which Was cruising near the north side of the island 
for the purpose of preventing the entry of vessels there during the 
detention of the Emperor Napoleon. The boarding ofBcer was very 
polite ; said their orders were positive to allow no vessel to go in ; 
that provision was made at the Island of Ascension to supply ships 
with water, and that if we had not enough to carry us there, he would 
furnish Us with sufficient for that purpose ; but we Were not in want 
of any thing. Our detention, therefore, was but of short duration, 
and taking our departure from St. Helena, we had a pleasant passage 
to Boston, where we arrived in August, 1816 ; thus accomplishing 
the voyage in safety, and to the satisfaction of ail interested therein. 



CHAPTEE XXIV. 



Preliminary Remarks — Departure from New York — Passing Reflections- 
to Cape de Verde Islands — Tornado — St. Paul's on the Equator — Pemambuco — 
Rio de la Plata— Cape Horn— Embayed — Passage, of tlie Cape — Land on the 
Island of Mocha — Arrival at Talcahuana — Visit of the Authorities — Sketch of 
them — A Guard sent on Board— Our men taken away — Prohibition of Communis 
cation with our Coimtrymen of the Canton, 




^12 general peace of the civilized world, at this 
time, by producing great commercial competition, 
made it difficult for the most experienced merchant 
to project a voyage, in which the chance of loss 
would not be equal to that of gain. From this con- 
sideration, after returning from Batavia, I declined 
engaging in any other voyage till the early part of 
year 1817, when, being at New York at the time 
intelligence reached there of a revolution in the kingdom 
of Chili, by which the people had emancipated themselves 
from the royal government, it occurred to me that I 
might profit by it. 
This event, by freeing the commerce of that country from 
the severe and paralyzing restrictions to which it had hitherto 
]been subjected, by throwing open those ports to the commerce 
of all nations, which for ages had been sealed to foreigners, seemed 
to present very flattering prospects to those merchants, who should be 
first in availing themselves of it. 

The knowledge I had acquired in my voyage in the Lelia Byrd, 
of the wants and commercial resources of the country, gave me 
advantages, which few of my enterprising countrymen then possessed. 
It was very desirable to turn this knowledge to the best account, by 
planning and executing a voyage thither. With this view, I submitted 
a plan to that enterprising, intelligent, and wealthy merchant, John 



JOHN JACOB ASTOR. ' 285 

Jacob Astor, Esq., who, though aware of the risks attending it, was 
not slow to perceive, and be convinced of the promised advantages ; 
and, with characteristic decision, he determined to engage in it. 

As Mr. Astor acceded to my terms as master and factor, and showed 
equal liberality and good judgment in leaving every thing to my 
discretion, an agreement was soon concluded, and measures immedi- 
ately taken to prepare the ship and to purchase the cargo. His 
favorite ship Beaver, (the same mentioned in Irving's " Astoria,") 
had just been repaired, at an expense nearly equal to that of building 
her anew, and was thus rendered proper for the contemplated voyage. 
Her equipment being under the superintendence of an experienced 
and accomplished seaman. Captain John Whitten, who was largely 
interested in the adventure, was in every respect complete. The 
cargo, consisting principally of European manufactures, to the amount 
of a hundred and forty thousand dollars, and the ship, with stores, 
valued at fifty thousand, formed an aggregate, which, it is probable, 
no other individual in the United States would have risked on a voyage 
so full of dangers and uncertainty. 

On the 28th of June, 1817, the lading being completed, men ship- 
ped, and every thing in readiness for sea, the ship was anchored in 
the stream, to secure the services of the men, on which little reliance 
could be placed, while lying at the wharf. At four o'clock, on the 
morning of the 1st of July, I was roused by the pilot to go on board ; 
and, in conformity with previous agreement, called on Mr. Astor, who, 
at this early hour, was up and waiting for me. After a short inter- 
view, I took leave, and repaired on board, where I found all engaged, 
under the direction of the pilot, in heaving up the anchor. 

With a fine westerly breeze, and a strong ebb tide, we passec 
rapidly on our way, and were soon outside of Sandy Hook, where the 
pilot left us. The day was remarkably fine, the sea smooth, and 
before twelve o'clock the highlands of Neversink were no longer 
visible. Before the day closed, a trial with other vessels, bound to 
the eastward, satisfied me that the ship sailed well and steered easily. 
The watch being set at eight o'clock, as usual, and the course to be 
steered during the night being given, I paced the deck till midnight, 
pleased with the quiet which had so suddenly succeeded the bustle of 
getting away, and gave to the mind ample scope to dwell on scenes 



286 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

past, present, and to come. There are few who have not experienced 
the pain of bidding farewell to beloved relatives, even though the time 
of separation is limited to a few weeks ; and thence may be able to 
form some idea of their feeling of desolateness, of home-sickness, 
whose destiny compels them to separate for years, perhaps for ever. 
Nor could the flattering confidence manifested by my employers, in 
the superb ship under my command, the valuable cargo consigned to 
me, the entire and unrestricted control of both, and the reasonable 
prospect of a happy result, tend to diminish the sadness which a 
recurrence to home invariably produced. Time, however, and the 
imperious duties of my station, gradually lessened the poignancy of 
these feelings ; and hope, ever buoyant hope, cheered the drooping 
spirits by pointing to a period, though distant, of a happy consumma- 
tion of my wishes. 

Our passage, as far as the parallel of the Cape de Verde Islands, 
afforded no incident worthy of note. It was none other than the 
calm, unruffled smoothness of a summer's sea, which for those who 
are impatient to make a passage quickly is much more irksome than 
the boisterous weather peculiar to high latitudes. 

While passing those Islands we experienced one of the tremendous 
tornadoes, so common at this season, from the African shore ; and 
from the effects of which mischief may be averted, by the warning 
they invariably give. By clewing up all sail in season, and scudding 
before it, we escaped injury. Such squalls are seldom of more than 
half an hour's duration, when a calm invariably succeeds, generally 
for a longer period ; during which the heat is oppressive, the atmos- 
phere lifeless, and the unmanageable ship is tumbling about in the sea 
caused by the tornado. 

Approaching the equator, vve took the wind so early from the south- 
ward, that I was not without anxiety lest we might fall to leeward of 
Cape St. Roque ; nor were these apprehensions unfounded, as on the 
17th of August we saw the rocky Island of St. Paul's, which is nearly 
on the equator, bearing far to the eastward of us; and on the 19th 
were but just able to weather the rugged Island of Fernando Noronha. 
Having passed this Island, and continued our courre on a wind to the 
southwest, we had the Brazilian coast in sight on the 21st, and plying 
to windward, were, on the morning of the 23d, close in with the town 



CAPE HORN. 287 

of Pernambuco, which makes a very pretty appearance from the sea. 
As there was no blockading squadron here, we presumed that the 
rebellion had been quelled ; and this suspicion was soon confirmed by 
information from a vessel which we spoke immediately from thence, 
that the Royalists had, some days since, gained the ascendency and 
had caused the principal conspirators to be put to death. 

Having next day passed the latitude of Cape St. Augustine, we 
observed that, as we advanced to the southward, the wind became 
more easterly, and finally enabled us to spread all our light sails to a 
favorable breeze. As we approached the latitude of the Rio de la 
Plata, we spoke an English brig, bound thither from Rio Janeiro, on 
board of which we put letters for home. As there existed some 
chance of obtaining information that might be useful, of the relative 
situation of parties in Chili, by touching at Maldonado, I determined 
on so doing, if not attended with too great loss of time ; but when, 
on the 8th of September, we were in sight of St. Mary's, in thirteen 
fathoms water, the weather was so thick and rainy, that after lying-to 
several hours, with no indication of its clearing away, I concluded to 
abandon the attempt, and with a favorable wind made all sail to the 
southward. 

To avoid being entirely dependent on the authorities of the Chilian 
ports, that we might enter, for the replenishment of our water and wood, 
I was desirous of stopping at the Falkland Islands ; and for this pur- 
pose, steered a course that would carry me to the westward of them, 
as long as the wind permitted. This, however, was not long, for be- 
fore we arrived near their parallel, repeated and violent gales from the 
southwest carried us far to the eastward of them. Satisfied that the 
time required to reach them would be unprofitably spent, and our 
necessities not being urgent, I gave up this plan, and proceeded 
toward Cape Horn. 

After experiencing the variety of winds and weather which are 
peculiar to a high latitude, we were favored on the 25th of Septem- 
ber with a fine breeze from the eastward, before which we made rapid 
advances toward the Cape. The breeze continuing the following 
day, had carried us on so far as to leave no doubt of being up with 
the Cape before morning. Having by a good observation, at noon, 
ascertained that our latitude was about ten miles south of the Cape> 



288 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

a course was steered to preserve that parallel ; and, with the advan 
tage of a moonlight night, we pressed forward, keeping a sharp look- 
out for the land. This was descried at 2 A. M. in a direction which 
led me to suppose it to be the Cape ; but continuing our course to the 
westward, two hours, another point of land was discovered, which 
satisfied me of my mistake. I therefore immediately shortened sail 
so as to admit the ship's being hauled on a wind, if it should become 
necessary. Soon after seeing the second point, land was descried to 
the southward, making it evident that we had been swept to the north- 
ward, by a current, and were actually embayed. Immediately on this 
discovery, the ship was laid to, while we anxiously waited for day- 
light, which was near at hand. 

When the light enabled us to distinguish objects clearly, we found 
that if our position was not actually hazardous, our safety was due 
rather to accident than prudence. Barnevelt's Island was to the 
southward of us, three or four miles, but we could not weather it. 
Steering through a passage which opened to us between the Island and 
Cape Deceit, with a fine breeze from north-northeast, we passed with- 
in three miles of Cape Horn, at nine o'clock in the morning, and at 
noon were six or eight leagues to the westward of it. Thus, with a 
smooth sea, a breeze to which all our light sails were spread, and 
with ease and celerity, we passed this formidable and terrific Cape ; 
the natural barrier and pledge, for ages past, for the security of the 
Spanish possessions on the Chilian and Peruvian coasts. 

The next day we spoke the ship Packet of Boston, Captain Hill, 
bound to the coast of Chili ; and the following night we had a gale 
of wind from the northwest which brought us under reefed courses. 
The prevalence of northwest gales prevented our reaching the Island 
of Mocha till the 15th of October. In the hope of obtaining some 
useful information of the political situation of Chili, we lay off and on 
several hours, while the boat was despatched for that purpose ; but 
it returned after reconnoitring the southern and eastern parts of the 
island, without discovering any traces of inhabitants, or any other 
animal than the wild horse. 

A supply of water and wood being now necessary, I determined to 
enter the port of Talcahuana, presuming that, whether in possession 
of Royalists or Patriots, our wants were manifest ; and that our right 



TALCAHUANA. 



289 



to enter their ports for a supply, was guaranteed by treaty. Under 
these impressions, and a belief that I had nothing to apprehend from 
either party, while I conformed to the laws and regulations of the 
ruling powers, I directed a course for that port ; and the next morn- 
ing we were abreast the Island of St. Mary's. Having but a light 
breeze, it was late in the afternoon before we had a view of the port, 
into which an American ship was entering, and which proved to be 
the Essex, of Nantucket, Captain Russell. 

A light air from the southward enabled us to pass the Island of 
Quinquina, which forms the southern entrance to the port ; and soon 
after, it became perfectly calm. While thus becalmed, we were 
boarded by an officer, who had just before boarded the Essex, and 
who stated that the port was in possession of the Patriots ; that he 
was a Patriot officer ; that the Royal flag was kept flying on the ships 
then in full view, as a decoy ; that the brig Canton was in port, and 
would be ready to sail for Salem in two or three days, &c. &c., all 
which was false, excepting that the brig Canton was in port. 

As the calm continued, we were obliged to let go an anchor, and 
soon after were boarded by an offxer of apparently superior grade to 
the first. He wore an undress Royal uniform, and demanded the 
ship's papers. Having examined these, and remarked a deficiency 
of the sea letter, he was about taking them away, to which I would 
not consent, and after some altercation on the subject, he left the ship. 
My suspicions were now awakened as to the facts stated by the first 
officer who boarded us ; although corroborated by the second, if un- 
true, their object must fairly be presumed to be mischievous. 

Thus situated, and with such apprehensions, it was evident that no 
time was to be lost in deciding whether it was most judicious to attempt 
a retreat and seek some other port, or to enter this, trusting to our 
right by treaty. In adopting the first measure, it was to be considered 
that though we might succeed in beating off the launches, the only 
mode of annoyance they could use while the calm continued, yet 
this must be with the loss of lives, and with a chance of failure. If, 
however, we should succeed in keeping them at bay until a breeze 
should spring up, which would enable us to go out, the same would 
aid the ships of war to pursue us ; and we could no more rationally 
expect to outsail a frigate, than we could successfully resist her. A 
25 



290 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

failure in either of these attempts might be urged as a justifiable 
cause of condemnation. It was no less obvious that, if these ships 
were a part of the Royal navy, the Royalists must possess the 
ascendency at sea ; in which case it was probable that the port of 
Valparaiso would be blockaded ; and to be taken attempting to enter 
there, after having forced my way from here, and with a Eoyal officer 
on board to detail the circumstances; could not fail to be attended 
with disastrous consequences. 

On the other hand, however vexatious and annoying the conduct 
of the government towards us might be, from the resentment they 
would feel, on suspicion of our intention to traffic with those they 
termed rebels, such suspicion ought not to endanger the property 
under any circumstances ; and more especially when there existed 
the most undeniable evidence of such necessity as had been pro- 
vided for by treaty. With these impressions, and in the worst event, 
that of the Royalists being in possession of the place, the least of 
the two evils seemed to be that of placing myself in their power, and 
manifesting no apprehension for the result ; in accordance with this 
conviction, I made no resistance to the admittance of the armed men 
on board, who were sent to take charge of us. These, however, 
were alleged by the officer to be put on board for our safety, to guard 
us against the enemy who possessed the neighboring shore, from 
which we were distant about one mile. 

Having a breeze early the next morning, we weighed anchor, and 
after making two or three tacks, under the direction of the pilot, 
anchored again in front of the town, between the Velozand Sebastina, 
men-of-war. Here a guard from the shore relieved those who first 
came on board ; and here we were all confined to the ship, and pro- 
hibited any communication with the shore, or with our countrymen 
of the brig Canton, which lay near us. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



Sails Unbent — lutercliaiige of Letters with the Governor — Unfortunate Selection of 
a Port — Situation of the Eoyal and Patriot Forces — Visit from the Authorities — 
Sketch of thena — Their Object and Determination — Hopeless Case — Some Re- 
sources. 




j^ the afternoon our sails were unbent, an unsuc- 
cessful attempt was made to unhang the rudder, 
and all (excepting two) of the seamen taken away 
and put on board other ships. During the after- 
noon and the following day, several letters were 
interchanged between the military Governor and 
myself, all of which showed that it was his intention 
to appropriate the ship and cargo to the use of the gov- 
ernment. 

It was now evident, that we could not have selected 
a port on the coast where so much suspicion of sinister 
intentions would be excited : where the rules would be more 
hostile to us ; or where, from the entire exhaustion of the 
militaiy chest, there could exist so good an apology for act- 
ing on the principle, that "necessity knows no law." Hence 
it was apparent, that if ever the property should be released, it prob- 
ably would not be till after such a protracted period of litigation in a 
Spanish tribunal, as would wear out my patience, if not my life. 

We now ascertained that the city of Conception and all the eastern 
side of the bay were in possession of the Patriots, who, with a strong 
force, were besieging Talcahuana, and daily throwing shells into the 
town ; while the Royal forces, confined within their lines to the penin- 
sula, were kept on the qui vive, by the frequent demonstrations of 
an attack. 

On the following day, we were visited by all the important function- 



292 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

aries of the government, including the military Governor, a sketch 
of whom, which a compulsory acquaintance afterwards enabled me 
to take, may be properly introduced at this time. The supreme 
chief, or Governor Intendante of the Province of Conception, was 
Jose Ordones, a European, but whether a descendant of the one of 
that name, of whom honorable mention is made in the history of the 
renowned Knight of La Mancha, I could not learn. He held the 
rank of Colonel in the Royal army, had seen much service in the 
late war, and, from having been a prisoner in France, had derived the 
double advantage of attaining some knowledge of the French lan- 
guage, and of acquiring the happy mode of appropriating the prop- 
erty of others to their own particular use, which so distinguished that 
nation at the time of his captivity. His manners were those of a 
gentleman ; and his character a counterpart to that which Tacitus 
has drawn of Tiberius. His stature was rather below middling. His 
physiognomy dark and forbidding. His eyelids hung half over the 
balls of his eyes, after the manner in which a toper is usually drawn, 
and were so remarkable, that, had he lived in those times of yore, 
when the peculiar properties of a man gave him a name, as " long 
shanks," " bald head," &c. he would perhaps have obtained the soubri- 
quet of " lopped-eyed." 

The character next in importance, among my guests, was the Fiscal 
of the Royal Hacienda, or chief of the civil department, Don Santi- 
ago Ascacibar Murube, a native of Old Spain, and a hater of all 
foreigners. He derived his station and consequence, not less from 
the scarcity of men possessing the requisite talents for the ofEce, 
than from the efforts of influential friends, a prepossessing figure, and 
a degree of assurance bordering on impudence, which gave him a 
currency with some of the most respectable families of Lima. He 
was proverbially unprincipled in a community where morality is but 
little esteemed. After his return to Lima, and in conformity with the 
usual practice of such sinners, he voluntarily banished himself from 
society during a fortnight, entered a convent, and submitted to the 
penance, required by its rules, for that period ; then came out 
cleansed from his sins, and prepared to begin a new score. 

The third grand prop of the State, in this company, was the As- 
sessor, or great law ofRcer, the man who interrogated us, and by the 



DANGER OF CONFISCATION. 293 

successful issue of this labor, showed to his astonished countrymen, 
that he could detect guilt where none existed. Juan Jose Eguiluz, 
the submissive tool of the two preceding rogues, was a half-starved, 
lank, pale, doleful looking fellow ; from whom, however, Csesar 
would have had no apprehensions of the subversion of the govern- 
ment, as he was entirely destitute of any one of the qualifications 
requisite, except an entire want of principle. His appointment to the 
office of Assessor must have been the effect of blind partiality, or of 
that chance which offered no selection, or, probably, of the presump- 
tion, that, in so obscure a place as Talcahuana, no official duties 
would be required of him. 

The last though not the least influential character, among my visitors, 
was the Commissary of the army, Don Mattias de la Fuente, the 
Abbe Sieyes of Talcahuana. Though a native of this country, the 
King had no subject more devotedly attached to his government, no 
one who was a more bitter enemy to the Patriot cause. With the 
manners and urbanity of a gentleman, he combined the duplicity and 
cunning of a Spanish courtier. He took no other responsibility in 
the measures pursued against us, than to represent to the government 
that there was no money in the Royal chest, that he was destitute of 
the means of paying the army, whose arrears were so great, and 
whose necessities were so urgent, that symptoms of discontent among 
them were daily manifest, and that there was no other resource of 
alleviation of that evil, than to appropriate the cargo of the Beaver. 
With characteristic duplicity, while he was daily making professions 
of friendship, and encouraging a hope of the release of the property, 
he was laboring for its confiscation, and was earnestly engaged in 
producing that ruin which he affected to lament. Such were the men, 
in whose power it was now my cruel destiny to be placed. On their 
fiat hung the fate of the valuable ship Beaver and cargo ; and with 
them my own fortune and future prospects. 

Although the ostensible object of this visit was to see if our neces- 
sities were as urgent as reported, it was very evident, that, in reality, 
it was to search for some grounds to prove that they were feigned, in 
order to justify the high-handed measures, upon which they had, evi- 
dently, already determined. Among other proofs equally frivolous, 
they tasted the bilgewater from the pumps, and declared it to bo 
25* 



^^ SEVENTH VOYAGE, 

sweet. The falsehood was contrived to substantiate another, namely, 
that the water in the hold being palatable, was evidence of our supply 
having been purposely started to make a show of necessity. If there 
had been any doubts, relative to our fate before this visit, none could 
exist afterwards ; as the Fiscal had already been so incautious as to 
prejudge the cause, by declaring the ship and cargo to be good prize. 

It would be in vain to attempt conveying an idea of my distress, 
now that I realized the scene of trouble which awaited me. I saw at 
once my fair prospects blasted ; the flattering hopes of meeting my 
family, with a competency, at no very distant period, annihilated ; the 
satisfaction of an approving welcome from my employer, without a 
chance of being realized. Besides this, I was conscious that these 
calamities, which were only a prelude to others, were produced by 
the mere accident of falling into the hands of those who possessed 
but barely sufficient power to enforce their views, while their inhu- 
manity would not hesitate to take my life, if necessary for the fur- 
therance of their object. I knew, too, that they were ignorant, even 
of the existence of any treaty, by which my rights were secured ; 
and entirely reckless of consequences. All these conspired to plunge 
me into an abyss of misery ; to present a prospect so gloomy, so op- 
pressive, so fraught with woe, that the situation of one conscious that 
his life was limited to the next setting sun, appeared enviable to me. 

Such prostration of spirit, however, was of but momentary dura- 
tion. This was neither the first, nor second time, that my prospects 
in life had been involved in equal darkness ; and had been succeeded 
by days of sunshine ; and though I could not now perceive an)*" 
chance of extricating myself, I felt such confidence that a way w^ould 
be opened, that I soon recovered that elasticity of spirits which is 
necessary to insure success, in any enterprise. 

Revolving in my mind the various modes which might possibly 
occur for the recovery of this property, the first and a very probable 
one, was the arrival of the Ontario, which from the notice in the pa- 
pers, of the time of her sailing from the United States, might be 
daily expected ; and her presence would have had an immediate ten- 
dency to cause its release. The second, was the known increase of the 
Patriot force, and the hope that they might become masters of the 
place before the condemnation of the ship. The third, was the hope 



HOPES OF RELEASE. 295 

and expectation, that the Viceroy, aware of the incompetency of the 
authorities at Talcahuana to judge in maritime cases, no less than of 
their want of moral principle, would order the ship to Lima. 

These were the means which presented to me some chance of 
escape from the immediate thraldom under which I was writhing. A 
more remote prospect, was that of the interference of the Govern- 
ment of the United States. I did not doubt that a demand would be 
made for this property, which under existing circumstances, must be 
complied with ; though probably at so remote a period, as to make 
it of little benefit to me. These modes of rehef, however, being 
foreign to myself, were not agreeable to me, nor did my forlorn situ- 
ation ever reconcile me to the idea of being indebted to foreign aid, to 
extricate me from, my embarrassmentsi 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



Examination by the Assessors — Liberty to go on Shore — Escape to the Enemy of 
the Beaver's Men — Indignation of the Populace — Annoyance of Sentries — Arrival 
of the Venganza— Putthe Guard to Sleep — Answer the Watchword— Plan of 
taking the Frigate — Consequences — Sounding the Men — Day appointed — Disap- 
pointment. 




1 irksomeness of being confined to the limits 
of the ship, after a passage of one hundred and 
ten days, was very great ; and the misfortune of 
arriving at a besieged place, where neither fresh 
provisions nor vegetables were to be obtained, 
though circumstances in themselves trifling, when 
compared with the loss of the property, were, 
nevertheless, so provoking as to produce an impatience 
and irritability, while under examination, which was 
occasionally manifested in such disrespectful, and even 
insulting replies, as often to break off the proceedings ; 
and sometimes to provoke a threat of imprisonment. The 
1^^ questions were put by the Assessor, through the medium of 
"^ a sailor, as interpreter, who understood either language so 
imperfectly that I had frequent occasion to correct him. This 
tedious, and often ludicrous business was continued with me about ten 
days ; after which, the two mates, boatswain, and two seamen, were, 
by turns, subjected to a like tedious examination. 

Nearly a month had been spent in this way, and we had not been 
permitted to go on shore, or to have any communication with the 
Canton's men. At length, the examination being finished, orders 
were given that we should be permitted to go on shore for exercise, 
and recreation ; but, at a distance from the town, and always guarded 



beaver's men escape. 297 

by a soldier. We had been in the enjoyment of this indulgence but 
a few days, when, on the 15th of November, the boatswain, carpen- 
ter, clerk, and three boys, being ashore in the jolly-boat, eluded the 
vigilance of the soldier sent to guard them, escaped in the boat, and 
were half way across the bay toward the enemy, before the alarm 
was given. As soon as it was known on board the men-of-war, all 
their light boats were sent in pursuit ; and although they approached 
so as to be finally within musket-shot, and kept firing, yet no one was 
injured, and they reached the shore in safety. Their efTorts had been 
watched by the Patriots, and upon their landing a party of cavalry 
appeared to receive and protect them. The ship's boat was recovered 
and brought back by the pursuers. 

This was an event, which, as might be expected, set the whole 
populace and garrison in commotion. There were no epithets too 
bad for us ; the belief was current, that we had an understanding and 
communication with the Patriots ; and consequently that there ought 
to be no hesitation in confiscating the ship and cargo and putting us 
in prison. It was fortunate for me, that at the time the alarm was 
given, I was with the Governor, who, for a moment, suspected me 
of being privy to it ; but, after a little reflection, and my assurance 
of innocence, he acknowledged having done me injustice. Never- 
theless, the guard on board had orders to be more vigilant ; addi- 
tional sentries were placed between decks, who, by passing the word 
from one to another, and thence to the sentries on deck, kept up such 
a continued bawling all night, as made it impossible to sleep. 

The spanker and foretopmast staysail, which had been kept bent to 
facilitate in keeping a clear hawse, were now unbent and taken away. 
A search was made for arms, and every musket, pistol, sabre, and 
boarding-pike they could find removed. This excessive caution and 
annoyance lasted only two or three days, when it gradually ceased, 
and we had even more liberty than even before the occurrence. Not 
doubting that our arms would be taken away, we had used the precau- 
tion to secrete as many pistols, and sabres, and as much powder and 
ball, as it was possible occasion might demand, and these remained 
undiscovered. 

On the 20th of November, the Royal naval force was augmented 
by the arrival, from Lima, of the frigate Venganza, of forty-four 



298 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

guns, and the brigs of war Pezuela and Potrillo. More than a month 
had elapsed since our arrival ; and so little had been done toward a 
decision in our case, that we had abundant evidence, that the prover- 
bially sluggish manner of doing business, so peculiar to the Spanish 
people, was in no degree to be deviated from, in the present instance. 
Their progress had been at such a snail-like pace, that unless affected 
by some political change, months, if not years, must pass away before 
I could rationally expect to be provided with those documents which 
were requisite for my own justification to owners and underwriters ; 
no less than to enable them to substantiate their claim against the 
Spanish government. 

The prospect of dragging on, for an indefinite period, the wretched 
existence which I had endured since arriving at this port, was insup- 
portable. Mortified at the humiliating position in which I was placed, 
goaded by the long train of evils which would inevitably result to me 
from the loss of this property, and driven to desperation by my inability 
to perceive any prospect of a termination to such misery, I viewed 
destruction in an effort to save myself^ as an evil of less magnitude ; 
and therefore determined, if 1 could induce my men to join me, to 
put in execution a plan which I had long meditated ; and which like 
all revolutionary movements, would be deemed praiseworthy or law- 
less, as the result should prove successful or otherwise. 

While lying between the Spanish vessels of war where our ship 
was first anchored, I had a good opportunity of noticing the absence 
of proper and ordinary discipHne. During more than a month, I 
paced the Beaver's deck every night, often until the middle watch had 
nearly worn away ; and observed, that more than half the time the 
sentries were so deficient in vigilance, as to be hailed several times be- 
fore answering. Perceiving the advantage that might result, if I 
could substitute my answer for that of the sentry on board our ship, 
I often took the trumpet, and found my " alerto " to be as current as 
that of the Spanish sentry. I noticed, also, that a great number of 
men were sent away in the launches every night, to guard some 
weak points, at the eastern extremity of the town. With a view of 
ascertaining the feasibihty of rendering nugatory our guard of twenty 
soldiers, I tried the experiment of giving them a can of grog mixed 
with a little laudanum, which put them all into so profound a sleep 



PROSPECTS BRIGHTEN. 299 

for several hours, as to give us entire control of the ship ; a circum- 
stance which was concealed from their superiors by my " alerto " 
passing for that of the proper sentry. 

With these preliminary experiences, and my general knowledge of 
the slovenly manner in which the duties of officers and men were 
performed on board Spanish ships of war, it appeared to me, that if a 
favorable opportunity presented, and my men were resolute, we 
might take the commodore's ship by a coup de main. It must be ob- 
vious, that the carrying out successfully the plan I had formed, must 
depend on obtaining possession of the fastest sailing ship. This I 
had ascertained to be the Venganza. Once in possession of this ship, 
it would not require more than two or three hours before we should 
have brought her to anchor in the bay of St. Vincent's, which is only 
about two miles to windward of Talcahuana. About one mile east 
of this bay were encamped the Patriot (or besieging) army, the com- 
mander of which could not fail to perceive the advantage which for- 
tune would have thus thrown in his way, and would lose no time in 
furnishing the number of men I'equisite for the performance of the 
various duties on board. These could be embarked, and a return to 
Talcahuana effected in twelve hours from the time of having left 
there, if necessary; but it is probable a few additional hours might 
have been required to adjust the mode of proceeding. A vigorous 
and simultaneous attack, by this frigate on one side, and by the Patriot 
army on the other, would cause the surrender of the town and ship- 
ping in a very short time. 

I should then have gained possession of the Beaver, with the prin- 
cipal part of her cargo yet on board. But this constituted only a 
small part of my plan. The main object was then to revolutionize 
the kingdom of Peru ; and to effect this purpose, the way appeared 
to be clear, and not very difficult, if I could induce the Chilian Gen- 
eral to furnish me with the requisite number of men ; which, as they 
were no longer wanted at Talcahuana, it was presumable he would 
readily do. With the Venganza thus manned, and before the possi- 
bility of any account of these transactions reaching the blockading 
squadron off Valparaiso, I would proceed thither with Spanish colors 
flying, sheer alongside the Commodore's ship, the Esmeralda, before 
those on board had any suspicion of danger, and take her, probably 



300 SEVENTH VOYAGE, 

without losing a man. The brigs of war composing a part of the 
blockading force would then surrender without resistance. 

When I had thus been the means of placing in the power of the 
Chilian government the whole naval force of Peru, my personal ser- 
vices would no longer be necessary. The immense advantage to be 
derived from it could not fail to be perceived and acknowledged by 
them. The means of revolutionizing Peru would be now in their 
power ; and, if promptly and judiciously used, could hardly fail of 
success. To prevent the possibility of escape of any intelligence to 
the Peruvians, and while the fleet was preparing for invasion, an em- 
bargo would be indispensable. As it w^ould be obvious to the Chilian 
government, that their chance of success would greatly depend on 
despatch, it is presumable that more than ordinary efforts w^ould be 
made for the attainment of this object. Entering the bay of Callao 
with Spanish colors flying, the people of the town would immediately 
recognise their own ships; and as they had had, for a long time, the 
ascendency on the ocean, would have no suspicion of their being 
in possession of the enemy. They would, therefore, be taken com- 
pletely by surprise ; before recovering from which, the Chilians would 
have become masters of the fortress, of the town, and of the ship- 
ping. 

Thus, amid the pressure of misfortune, were my spirits buoyed 
up with the prospect of a change in my affairs ; possibly a brilliant 
one, conducting to fame, to fortune, to the chastisement of my per- 
secutors, and, more gratifying than all, to the restoration of their prop- 
erty to my employers, with abundant advantage. 

The desperate measure, the execution of which now occupied mv 
sleeping as well as waking hours, in which the lives of myself and 
associates, as well as those of innocent Spanish seamen, would be 
jeopardized or sacrificed, I was aware would be viewed by some as 
high-handed, lawless, and piratical ; by others, as a just retaliation for 
the injuries I had suffered ; and, by a greater number, as favoring the 
efforts of an oppressed people, for the overthrow of a despotic gov- 
ernment, and the establishment of a liberal one in its stead, highly 
commendable. 

But to perceive, or feel the full force of the motives by which I was 
actuated, it is proper to refer to some scenes in my narrative, already 



MATURE MY PLANS. 301 

detailed, -^^ such as, the fruit of many years of my hard earnings 
being swept off, and myself and family reduced to poverty, by the 
robbery of Admiral Cochrane, sanctioned by a wicked judge of Vice- 
Admiralty, without a justifiable cause, and in violation of the laws of 
nations ; next, the treacherous, mean, and cowardly manner, in 
which, by order of Napoleon, my vessel and cargo was stolen from 
me by Murat ; and now, without having violated any law, or deviated 
in any degree from the tenor of the existing treaty, — being again 
stripped of my property, reduced to penury, and goaded with the pros- 
pect of the long train of evils which were inevitable. Let such re- 
peated and deeply distressing wrongs be brought home to the breast 
of any one ; and if they be not considered sufficient to justify the 
measure on which I had determined, they will do much towards ex- 
tenuating it. 

Immediately after the augmentation of the naval force, mentioned 
to have taken place on the 20th of November, such security was felt 
by the authorities of Talcahuana, as induced them to return to the 
Beaver her ship's company, who, excepting those who had escaped to 
the Patriots, had been kept as prisoners from the time of our arrival. 
This was a measure I had anticipated ; and but for which the plan 
must have been abandoned, as I had no access to them when away 
from the ship. 

In a few days after the arrival of the Venganza, the small vessels 
of war put to sea, leaving in port, besides that ship, only the Sebas- 
tiana, a heavy sailing vessel. The activity and enterprise of the be- 
siegers was such as to make a requisition of all the men they could 
spare from the ships of v>^ar, to guard, during the nights, the vulnera- 
ble points east of the town. On this duty, and on that required else- 
where, so many men were necessary, that the Venganza was often 
left with short of a hundred on board ; and the crew of the other 
ship was weakened proportionally. The time, therefore, had now 
arrived to mature the plan, and to put it in execution with the least 
delay possible. 

The great delicacy and caution requisite to be observed in sound- 
ing the men, and in ascertaining if they would engage heartily in the 
contemplated enterprise, must be obvious to all, who are capable of 
•appreciating the danger of trusting to sailors, a secret involving such 
26 



302 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

consequences as a discovery would create. It would have been man- 
ifestly imprudent to open the plan to the crew generally, much 
before the time when it was to be put in execution ; for though I 
had no doubt of their fidelity, yet as some of them would get drunk 
when they had an opportunity, the secret might escape them while 
in that state. 

Choosing a proper time, when least likely to attract the attention 
of the guard on board, I invited two of the most trustworthy of my 
men into the cabin, when carefully shutting the door, and looking all 
round to be sure that nobody could hear us, I began by expressing 
my satisfaction with their conduct since leaving New York, and my 
regret at the misfortune we were now suffering, to which I could per- 
ceive no prospect of an end. I then observed, that as it was always 
an object with me to promote, as much as was in my power, the hap- 
piness and comfort of the men under my command, I trusted they 
were satisfied with the treatment they had received from me thus 
far ; to which they readily assented. Their curiosity seemed now to 
be alive to know what was coming next ; perceiving which, I assured 
them of my conviction that the ship and cargo would be condemned ; 
of which they also said they had no doubt. I spoke to them of the 
outrage of this act, performed by ignorant blockheads in defiance of 
a solemn treaty made with their King ; stated to them, that though 
restitution would be made, it would be so long first, as to be little ben- 
eficial to us ; that we had no other prospect before us than being left 
in a strange land, without means of support ; that tamely to submit to 
such cruelty, while any means of redress was within our reach, 
would be disgraceful ; that any measures however violent, for extri- 
cating ourselves, were not only justifiable but meritorious, and that, 
by a well-timed and bold effort, we could obtain for ourselves liberty, 
fortune, and the chastisement of our enemies. They declared that 
nothing would please them better than to engage in any plan by which 
they could get clear of these dirty Spaniards, and give them a good 
whipping, in which, they said, they knew every man of the Beaver 
would heartily join, 

I then stated to them my conviction of the practicabihty of our 
making ourselves masters of the Venganza, and the long train of 
brilliant consequences that would result from it, as already detailed. 



SOUNDING THE MEN. 303 

They started at this, and seemed to be disappointed in not having 
proposed to them a plan of less difficult accomplishment. One of 
them said it was too hazardous, the odds were too great against us ; 
the other was of the same opinion. I agreed with them that they 
were right, on the supposition of an open attack ; but that, taking 
them by surprise, we should obtain possession of the ship before 
being opposed by an equal number to our own, as had been the case 
in numerous instances, of vessels taken by surprise, where the dispar- 
ity in the relative force was equally great. Among other instances 
within my knowledge, I mentioned to them that of Captain SurcoufFe, 
who, with only eight men, took an English Indiaman, with more than 
one hundred men on board, in Balasore E,oads, and brought her safe 
to the Isle of France. The relation of this fact seemed to give them 
renewed spirit, and to lessen their belief in their first impression of 
the extent of the danger ; as, after a few minutes' silence, the 
eldest said, he should be willing to engage in any plan where I 
would take the lead, looking at the same time at his shipmate, 
as if expecting him to be influenced by his decision, which was the 
case. 

On parting, I desired them, when a good occasion presented, to 
sound their shipmates as to their willingness to engage in some such 
plan, without stating particulars ; and without referring tome; and 
to be sure to avoid giving any cause of suspicion to the Spaniards ; 
never allowing themselves even to hint at the subject in their presence, 
as some of them were possessed of a few words of English ; and 
when conversing on the subject, to be certain it should be where they 
would not be overheard or suspected. The propriety of such cau- 
tion was obvious to these two men, and they promised to observe it 
in making their communication to their shipmates, and to enjoin it 
especially on them. In this delicate mission, they conducted with all 
due circumspection ; and the result was as I had anticipated it would 
be. 

Their treatment by the Spaniards had greatly exasperated 
them ; which, with the loss of their actual earnings, as well as those 
in prospect, all combined to render them as ready and earnest to 
emancipate themselves, by a desperate effort, as I was myself. 
It remained therefore, now, only to make the proper arrange- 



304 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

merits, and to determine on the time when the blow should be 
struck. 

A circumstance now occurred which was considered to be auspi- 
cious. The two mates of the brig Canton had, within a few days, 
been ordered to take up their residence on board the frigate. They 
had heard some indistinct rumor of what was going on ; and it was 
very important to enlist them in it. With this view, I made a visit to 
the Commodore, with whom I was on familiar terms. After convers- 
ing with him some little time, I took leave, and found my two coun- 
trymen waiting for me on the quarter-deck. There were, besides 
ourselves, only the two sentries present, neither of whom understood 
a word of English ; the opportunity, therefore, for a free communi- 
cation, and interchange of opinion, could not have been better. 
While walking the deck I opened to them the plan ; having in previ- 
ous conversations had abundant evidence that I might safely confide 
in them. As I had anticipated, they admitted its feasibility, if the 
men could be depended on, and readily agreed to participate in its 
execution. On parting I recommended to them to be vigilant in mak- 
ing such observations relative to the discipline of the ship, the times 
in the day or night when most weakened by absences of men, the 
place of deposit of small arms, and, generally, of every thing 
which should tend to the successful accomplishment of the object in 
view. 

Although I had no apprehension of any one of our number proving 
recreant, yet is it obvious that there is danger in trusting a secret to 
so many individuals ; and where life is involved, immediate action 
is the best and safest policy. It had been observed, that on Sundays, 
,in addition to the men required for the defences, others were allowed 
to go on shore for amusement ; and that, in the afternoon of Sundays, 
most of the officers were seeking recreation away from their ships. 
Sunday afternoon then, it was agreed, was the proper time when the 
attack could be made with the chance of least resistance, and with a 
fair prospect of success. It was now Thursday, and the Sunday next 
ensuing was determined on as the day, — the great, the important 
day, — in which we were to expect liberty or death. The interven- 
ing two days were passed in great anxiety, lest some suspicion, or 



WRITE TO MR. ASTOR. 30^ 

careless conversation should avert the meditated blow ; and I now 
fully experienced that, 

" Between the acting of a dreadful thing 
And the first motion, all the interim is 
Like a phantasma, or hideous dream • 
The genius and the mortal instruments 
Are then in counsel ; and the state of man, 
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then 
The nature of an insun-ection." 

On Friday I was occupied most of the day in writing letters to my 
family and to Mr. Astor ; and on Saturday afternoon, we all met at 
a secluded place, agreed on, at the outskirts of the town. This could 
be done in the afternoons with as little chance of seeing anybody, or 
of exciting suspicion, as at midnight, for all were taking their accus- 
tomed siesta. I had the satisfaction of finding no wavering among 
them ; but, on the contrary, all seemed to be resolute and anxious for 
the arrival of the decisive hour. We numbered fifteen, exclusive of 
the two on board the frigate. After settling a number of preliminary 
steps, such as designating the number, and persons for each boat, the 
manner in which their arms were to be best concealed, the kind of 
arms to be taken, &c., I addressed them, by saying, that I presumed 
they were all aware of the hazardous undertaking in which they were 
about being engaged ; that, once embarked in it, there was no retreat ; 
that victory or death was the only alternative ; that any flinching in 
the moment of attack, by any one, might be the ruin of us all ; and 
that it was my desire if any one among them felt his courage flag- 
ging, or unequal to facing the danger, that he would now manifest it, 
as one irresolute man might be the cause of the destruction of all of 
us. None such appearing among them, but all being resolute, we 
returned to the ship in different squads, of three or four each, the 
better to elude any chance of observation. 

During the succeeding night my sleep was uneasy and feverish, 
and I arose in the morning without being much refreshed by it. The 
sun rose in all the beauty and brilliancy which is so peculiar to this 
climate at this season of the year, than which nothing of the kind 
can be imagined more charming, or less in harmony with the deeds I 
26* 



306 SEVilNTlI VOYAGE. 

was contemplating. At ten o'clock the customary south wind had 
not yet began to blow. I made an early visit to the frigate, ostensi-* 
bly to the Commodore, but really to see the men of the Canton, and 
to make my final arrangements with them. For this purpose, after 
finishing my visit, with a promise to return in the afternoon with a 
book he wished to borrow, I walked the frigate's deck an hour with 
the mates, and had as fine an opportunity as could be desired, of 
making all the observations which were important, and which were 
sufficient to convince me, that if our men were resolute there was no 
doubt of a favorable result. 

Lest so many men should excite suspicion, by going alongside the 
ship at the same time, it was agreed that the Canton's boat, with half 
the number of men, should be sailing about near the frigate, and that) 
when they saw the Beaver's boat, with the other half, go to the star- 
board side of the ship, they should go alongside on the larboard ; while 
the Canton's men should be engaged in drawing ofi* the attention of 
the sentries, or, failing in this, to snatch from them their arms. The 
boats' crews mounting Simultaneously on opposite sides of the ship^ 
would instantly clear the deck of the Spaniards ; while at the same 
moment, those designated to cast loose the fore-topsail, and to cut the 
cable, would perform those duties, and, with the accustomed strong 
breeze blowing directly out of the bay, we should be well under way 
before the alarm would be given on board the Sebastiana. Such was 
the general plan, which of course must have been varied as contin- 
gencies might require. 

It was past 11 o'clock when I left the frigate and returned to the 
Beaver ; and the calm continued. This was very unusual. With an 
intensity of anxiety which may be more easily conceived than de- 
scribed, I watched the occasional slow passing clouds, and the light 
zephyrs, which are termed by sailors, cat's-paws, until the sun had 
passed the meridian, and the prospect of a breeze was not more 
encouraging. But it might come suddenly before dark, which would 
be in time for us ; we therefore administered the soporific to the sold- 
iers on board, which soon had the desired effect, and during the after- 
noon there existed no obstacle to our arming ourselves, and to mak- 
ing every requisite preparation at our leisure. But the customary 
wind came not, and it must be viewed as a remarkable fact, that at a 



ATTACK DEi'ERIiEl;. 30*7 

place where, at this season of the year, a strong south wind blows, on 
the average, nineteen days out of twenty, we should have this day 
only light airs from the northward, and calms. Thus were we com- 
pelled, by a cause over which we had no control, to defer the execu-* 
lion of our project for another week, to our great disappointment* 



310 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

an interest in the movements of the contending forces, not inferior to 
that of those who were actually engaged. 

It is most probable that the commander of the Patriot army had 
information that ships, which were conveying a great augmentation 
of force to the Royal Army, had sailed from Lima ; as on the 5th of 
January, 1818, they abandoned their position, set fire to the city of 
Conception, and retreated towards Santiago. The troops which had 
defended Talcahuana, took possession of the deserted and ruined 
city, where neither provisions, nor booty, nor aught but desolation 
was found. 

A few days after this event, the fleet arrived from Lima, having on 
board four thousand troops, under the command of General Oso- 
rio, the son-in-law of the Viceroy of Peru. They were good-looking 
men, well equipped, and one half the number were veterans, who 
had assisted in the expulsion of the French from Spain. The parti- 
sans of royalty were now greatly elated, and confidently predicted 
the subjugation and tranquil possession of the country, in a very 
limited time. The persons designed to fill the offices of the civil 
department of the government, came also, in the fleet, and among 
them was one, who possessed more liberality and intelligence! than is 
usual with his countrymen. This man, Mr. Pereyra, was appointed 
to the office of first Oidor, or judge of the supreme tribunal of San- 
tiago. With this gentleman I became intimately acquainted ; and 
from frequent conversations with him on the subject of the seizure 
of the Beaver, as well as from indirect sources, I ascertained, that he 
condemned all the proceedings of the government of Talcahuana 
towards us. I was therefore encouraged in the belief, that whether 
the case was carried before the superior tribunal at Santiago, or that 
of Lima, the decree of condemnation would be reversed. But how 
many dreary months were to be worn away before arriving at this 
consummation was not in the power of the best informed to deter- 
mine. 

After a few days spent in refreshing the troops, and making the requi- 
site preparation for transporting the baggage, the Royal army began 
its march in pursuit of the Patriots. They made a fine appearance, 
as they moved forward with all " the pomp and circumstance of glo- 
rious war," and with a confidence inspired by a belief in the superi- 



AREIVAL OF OSORIO. 311 

ority of their own prowess and discipline, and the greatest contempt 
for that of their enemy. The Governor Intendente of the province 
of Conception, and successful defender of Talcahuana, now advanced, 
for that defence, to the grade of Brigadier (Ordonez), accompanied 
the army, as second in command ; and from the very contemptuous 
manner in which I had frequently heard him speak of the Patriot 
forces, he could not expect to meet much opposition, or much of that 
toil, privation, and danger, which usually attend an invading army. 

In their march to Talca, which is about half way to Santiago, they 
met with no interruption ; but, soon after leaving this town, they came 
in sight of the enemy. There was some skirmishing between them 
on the 14th and 17th of March, and on the 18th, so considerable a 
body were engaged, and the Patriots so much outnumbered, and, by 
their resistance, so disappointed the hopes and expectations of the /i 
Koyal commanders, as to convince them that a cowp de main, or suc- 
cessful stratagem, presented the only chance for their own safety. 
Consequently, with a desperation justified by the danger of their 
position, they made a sudden and, to the enemy, unexpected attack 
in the night of the 19th, and with such complete success as to take 
all their baggage, twenty-nine brass field-pieces, and four or five 
thousand muskets ; they killed and wounded between two and three 
thousand men, and dispersed the rest so entirely, that there remained 
no obstacle to prevent their proceeding directly to the capital. A 
victory so complete, so important, and attended with so trifling loss on 
the part of the victors, corresponded with the expectations of the 
Koyal generals at the outset ; and tended to confirm them in their 
contempt of their opponents. 

The cause of independence in Chili now appeared to be desperate. 
There seemed to remain no chance of recovery from this tremendous 
blow ; and to submit to the mercy of the conquerors appeared to be - 
the humiliating and only alternative. But, fortunately for them., the 
infatuation and confidence of the Royal commanders was such, that, 
instead of pushing on to the capital, while all was dismay and confu- 
sion, with nothing to prevent them, in true Spanish character they 
remained inactive, six days, at Talca. This gave ample time to the 
discomfited Patriots to secure a retreat, to collect their scattered 
forces, and to combine, within a few miles of Santiago, an army. 



312 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

which still outnumbered that of the Royalists. So confident were 
the Royal partisans at this place, Talcahuana, of the immediate and 
complete subjugation of the country, founded on the official despatches 
of the commander-in-chief, that many of the inhabitants, expecting 
the surrender of Valparaiso to succeed that of Santiago immediately, 
were about embarking for the former place on their way to the latter. 
We now, for the first time, considered our situation more eligible than 
that of our countrymen at Valparaiso. With them there might be 
some (perhaps a feeble) plea for confiscation. With us there existed 
only the suspicion of such ; and a Court of Appeal was about being 
established at Santiago, from which we had much to hope. 

While these transactions were going on with the armies, the Com- 
missioners at Talcahuana, appointed to unlade and dispose of the 
Beaver's cargo, were busily engaged in that duty. It appeared, how- 
ever, that though the country, over which they had control, was en- 
tirely destitute of the manufactures which composed the Beaver's 
cargo, it was so poor as not to be able to pay for one half; and 
hence, with all their efforts, the Commissioners were unable to sup- 
ply the necessities of the army ; on which account, orders were re- 
ceived from head-quarters to sell the ship. This appeared to be giv- 
ing the finishing blow to the business ; as, after a sale, and in the 
event of a revocation of the decree, restoration would be out of the 
question. The only hope upon which I could now lean was, either 
that some decisive action should take place before the ship was sold, 
or that orders should arrive from the Viceroy of Peru for the ship to 
proceed to Callao ; and this I had urged in a letter to the Viceroy, 
forwarded in January. 

After the retreat of the Patriot army, there was no restriction to the 
direction or extent of our rambles on shore ; and as they were con- 
ducive to health, scarce a day passed without my taking an excursion 
of several miles. In one of these solitary walks, while crossing a 
field of thick underbrush, between Talcahuana and Conception, I 
was startled by suddenly coming upon an object, whose whiteness 
formed a contrast with the surrounding shrubbery. On approaching, 
I perceived it to be the skeleton of a man and horse, who had, 
doubdess, met their fate on the day of assault, had been stripped of 
whatever was valuable, and been left unburied, a prey to carrion 



THE CHILIANS VICTORIOUS. 313 

birds. The warrior lay by the side of his horse, each a perfect skel- 
eton, the bones bleached clean by the sun. 

It was now about the middle of April ; and if there had been no 
interruption to the progress of the army, the news of their occupa- 
tion of the capital ought to have reached Talcahuana. While all 
were in daily expectation of hearing cheering news of the submis- 
sion of the rebels, or of their being driven beyond the Andes, and 
consequent termination of the war, rumors were afloat, that the enemy 
had collected in such numbers, as to make the possession of Santiago 
dependent on another battle. The following day it was whispered, 
with an air of secrecy, that the Royal army had been defeated. 
This news was confirmed, the next morning, by the appearance of 
the commander-in-chief, Osorio, who, a la Buonaparte^ had effected 
his escape with ten or twelve followers ; the only remains of the 
proud army, which left here a few weeks since. Ordonez, and near- 
ly all the officers of distinction, who were not slain, were made pris- 
oners.* 

This decisive action, which annihilated the prospects of the Royal- 
ists, and established the independence of Chili, took place at a village 
called Maipo, within a few leagues of the capital, on the 5th of 
April, 1818. As the General, in his flight, passed through the city 
of Conception without stopping, the inhabitants very naturally con- 
cluded, that the enemy was at hand ; and the scene of confusion, ter- 
ror, and dismay, which succeeded, beggars description. These truly 
unfortunate people, whose attachment to their King had induced them 
to abandon their homes on the advance of the Patriot forces, and who 
had returned to their dilapidated houses, on the retreat of the enemy, 
were again compelled to fly, carrying with them whatever they had 
yet remaining of any value. During the two succeeding days, the 
road, leading from Conception to Talcahuana, was lined with loaded 
cattle and carts ; with men and women, old and young, each carrying 
as much of their furniture as they could. 

For such a sudden influx into Talcahuana, accommodation was dif- 
ficult to be found ; and many families, who had seen better days, 

* General Ordonez, and a number of other Eoyal officers captured at the battle of 
Maipo, were sent to Mendoza, on the east side of the Andes, and were afterwards all 
massacred for alleged conspiracy. 

27 



314 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

were glad to occupy a shed, a stable, or any place that afforded only 
a partial shelter from the weather, which was now becoming very 
inclement. But even here they were not safe ; as it was evident 
that all the force, which could possibly be mustered, was not equal to 
defending one fourth of the extent of the lines. Consequently, if the 
enemy should appear suddenly, no other resource remained but a 
retreat to the ships. Aware of this, the commander-in-chief had 
issued orders for every ship to be put in a state to proceed to sea, at 
a moment's notice ; and, as a preliminary step, they set about em- 
barking their most valuable effects. 

The acting Captain of the port, Tavira, was appointed to the com- 
mand of the Beaver, of which he gave me notice by letter, at the 
same time expressing a wish, that I would leave the ship immediately. 
I replied,that, to justify my leaving the ship, I must, in the first place, 
have an order to that effect, signed by the commander-in-chief ; and, 
in the next, that suitable apartments and food must be provided for 
myself and servant ; and that, when these reasonable conditions were 
complied with, I would obey the order, and not till then. The diffi- 
culty, at this time, of procuring a room on shore, was very great ; 
and, although he made great efforts, he was unable to obtain one. 
He therefore, the next day, brought me the order, signed by the 
General, declaring that he could find no accommodation for me on 
shore, unless an arrangement could be made with Mr. Coffin to share 
his room. This I declined ; at which he became very impatient ; 
and, after the interchange of a great many angry words, and a threat 
of compulsion, he left the ship in a passion. 

In a few hours afterwards he returned, with a smiling countenance, 
and told me, he had found excellent quarters for me on board the 
Aguila, a large Lima merchant ship, and that I was to live at the 
Captain's table. These I found to be more commodious, though less 
neat, than those of the Beaver ; and, acceding to the arrangement, I 
went on board with bag and baggage, accompanied by the steward, 
who was the only one remaining of the ship's company. 

I now flattered myself that my affairs had approached a crisis, that 
would soon put an end to the painful suspense and uncertainty, which 
I had been so long suffering, by my early departure from this dreary 



STILL DETAINED. 315 

place for Lima. But this illusion was quickly destroyed. As soon 
as the panic of the Royalists had subsided, it was determined, in 
council, not to evacuate the place, unless compelled, until they should 
receive the Viceroy's instructions. 



CHAPTER XXVIII, 



Arrival of the Esmeralda — Her escape from Capture — A Ship from Lima — An 
Order from the Viceroy for us to be sent there — Brig Canton prepared — Sailed on 
the 12th of May — Ai-rival at CaUao — Intei-vie w with the Viceroy of Peru— Eesult 
— Take a house at Lima — Visit the Officers of Government — Encouragement of 
eventual Success. 




|I^IH rainy season had now begun ; and the storms 
from the northwest were frequently so violent as to 
prevent communication with the town, for several 
days in succession. To pass the winter on board 
this ship, without making any progress towards 
bringing my affairs to a close, presented a prospect 
so dreary and discouraging, that I began again to 
think of some means by which to extricate myself from 
this state of thraldom. The Potrillo, of sixteen guns, 
was now the only vessel of war in port ; and she could 
not be made ready for sea in less than twenty-four hours. 
The Beaver was, at this time, lying with her sails bent, and 
I i^^ loaded with sugar and tobacco, an excellent cargo for Val- 
'*^ paraiso. Six of my men were acting as seamen on board, 
who would readily have joined me in cutting her out. It 
was not a difficult, or even a very dangerous enterprise ; but, was the 
advantage commensurate with the risk.^ Whether successful, or other- 
wise, would it not have a tendency to invalidate the claim on the 
Spanish government? In fine, would it not be abandoning a certainty 
for an uncertainty ? 

While deliberating on the wisdom of this project, the Esmeralda 
frigate and Pezuela brig arrived ; the former having been boarded 
while blockading Valparaiso, by the Chilian ship of war Lautaro. 



ESCAPE FROM CAPTURE. 317 

She would have been captured, but for the accidental separation of 
the ships before a competent number of men were able to board. 
The few who succeeded in following their captain, had complete 
possession of the upper deck for some minutes. When the ships 
separated, the Spaniards seeing the small number on board, rallied 
and killed them all, — among whom was the captain of the Lautaro, 
and the carpenter of the Beaver, the same who escaped in the boat, 
as related, soon after arriving at Talcahuana. 

The day after the arrival of these vessels. May 6th, a ship from 
Lima came in, by which I hoped to hear something that might give a 
turn to our affairs ; nor was I disappointed. The next morning. 
General Osorio sent for Mr. Coffin and myself, and told us he intend- 
ed despatching the brig Canton immediately for Lima, under the 
American flag, and with an American crew ; that we were to pro- 
ceed in her, and that there justice would be rendered to us. This 
measure was in conformity with an order from the Viceroy ; and was 
the effect of my letter to him dated the 28th of January last. A ray 
of hope once more dawned upon us ; and the joy experienced at the 
prospect presented of speedy emancipation, was scarcely less intense 
than that which the criminal feels, who receives a reprieve when 
under the gallows. It was taking a step, and a very important one, if 
not towards recovering the property, at least, towards closing the busi- 
ness ; and presented the prospect of an end to that distressing state of 
suspense, which is so wearing to the mind, when the object is so 
important. As every individual destined to embark in the Canton, 
was impatient to leave a place of so much misery as Talcahuana 
(for fevers had become very prevalent), the vessel was equipped with 
more than ordinary alacrity, and we took our departure on the 12th 
of May. 

Seven months had now elapsed since we cast anchor in this truly 
wretched place ; wretched from being subjected to the government 
of unprincipled men ; wretched from poverty, filth, disease, and all 
those horrible calamities which must accumulate in the seat of a civil 
war. It had been a period to us of continued privations, mortifications, 
provocations, and disgust ; but we had all survived it ; and the relief 
now afforded us, even if it were only of changing the scene, seemed 
to give me renovated energy and spirits. 
27* 



318 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

We had on board, as fellow-passengers, two lieutenant-colonels of 
the Royal army ; one of whom was aid-de-camp to General Osorio, 
and was bearer of despatches relating to the disastrous battle of 
Maipo. If a judgment can be formed of the cleanliness of their 
countrymen from these officers, the mortality on board their ships, 
on long voyages, is easily accounted for. We were twelve days on 
the passage to Callao, and though the weather was always delightful, 
the personal habits of those gentlemen during the whole time were 
excessively offensive. 

The Canton had on board about twenty-five thousand dollars' value 
of the Beaver's cargo, and some pieces of brass artillery, the trophies 
of Talca. I used occasionally to banter these officers on their impru- 
dence in placing themselves thus in the power of men who had 
experienced so great injury and provocation from the party to which 
they belonged ; and to show them that I had only to say the word, 
and the vessel would be taken into Valparaiso, and they delivered up 
to their enemies ; and I used to add, that their confidence was 
undoubtedly grounded on the appeal thus made to our honor, no less 
than to the consideration of its being clearly for our interest to pro- 
ceed to Lima, and hence they had nothing to apprehend. 

We anchored at Callao, on the 25th of May, and the next day 
obtained permission to proceed to Lima. Mr. CofRn and myself v/ere 
kindly received and hospitably entertained at the house of the officers 
of the marine, with whom we had become acquainted at Talcahuana, 
until we could procure a house, as there were no hotels. We now 
were informed, that the United States ship Ontario had been here ; 
that by her was brought the first intelligence of the destruction of 
the Royal army ; that her commander was well received, and was on 
good terms with the Viceroy ; that he had volunteered to go to Chili 
with an agent for negotiating an exchange of prisoners ; that he was 
now absent on that mission, and might be here again in two or three 
weeks. These circumstances all favored the restoration of our prop- 
erty. The following day Mr. Coffin and myself were presented, 
by Dr. Pedro Abadia, agent of the Philippine Company, to the Vice- 
roy. Our reception was as favorable as we had any reason to expect, 
or as was consistent with the policy which it was his duty to observe 
towards us. He addressed us in a stern and earnest manner, accu- 



HIRE A HOUSE. 319 

sing the Americans and English of promoting and encouraging the 
rebellion by furnishing the insurgents with arms and ammunition ; of 
contravening the laws, by introducing merchandise into the country 
and taking away the specie, without paying any duty on the importer 
export, and thereby seriously injuring the commerce and prosperity of 
the country. But, nevertheless, he added, that we might rely on his 
protection while here, that the proper authorities would investigate the 
business relative to the ships, and that justice should be rendered to 
us. Without giving us an opportunity to reply, he abruptly withdrew. 
I did not augur any thing unfavorable from this interview, although I was 
aware, that his general charges against our countrymen were true. 

The excessive aversion to business of the men in office, and the 
heedlessness and waste of time, which has long been observed as so 
peculiar to this people, would have induced us to expect great delay, 
even if the issue should be against us ; but with every encourage- 
ment to believe it would be in our favor, we hardly dared look for- 
ward to the distant period which might bring our business to a close. 
We therefore set about hiring and furnishing a house, and making 
such provision for a comfortable residence, as strangers in most other 
cities of equal magnitude find already prepared. We agreed upon 
one that would answer our purpose ; but were prevented taking pos- 
session for several days, while trying to get rid of the myriads of 
fleas with which every room was filled, and which, though greatly 
diminished by frequent washing and sweeping, were never entirely de- 
stroyed ; and we had only to submit to an evil, for which we could 
find no remedy, and to which the natives, from long habit, had be- 
come accustomed. 

To be possessed once more of a domicil exclusively my own, 
was a luxury that can be properly appreciated by those only who 
have been harrassed and vexed as I had been. As the unhappy mor- 
tal, waking from a night of sickly dreams which seemed an age, 
rejoices, though fatigued, to find the danger imaginary, so this sudden 
succession of tranquillity to an age of trouble, though so dearly paid 
for, afforded me no less cause of relief. Henceforth I had to apprehend 
no more restraint from an arrogant military guard ; no more surveil- 
lance from the harpies of the custom-house ; no further persecution 
from a Fiscal and Assessor, whose characters would have made them 



320 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

worthy members of the Inquisition, in the most rude ages of its exis- 
tence. Patience was now the virtue which it was most requisite to 
call into action, since to avoid disappointment we must be prepared 
for a great waste of time. But it is less difficult to reconcile one's 
self to minor ills, after having been so long subjected to such severe 
ones ; nor did the novelties presented by the Peruvian capital fail to 
beguile the time. 

Through the kind attention of two of the officers of the Royal navy, 
(Mr. Bocholan and Mr. Rivera,) we were introduced to several of the 
most respectable families of Lima, whom we were afterwards accus- 
tomed to visit on the most friendly terms. In addition to these, our 
business necessarily brought us in contact with the General of Marine, 
with the Assessor of Marine and his family, and with the Fiscal, by 
all of whom we were treated with the politeness and respect, which, 
in the civilized world, is due from one gentleman to another ; and 
which formed a striking contrast to our experiences at Talcahuana. 
As it respected our business, there seemed to prevail but one opinion, 
as to the reprehensible conduct of the government of Talcahuana, 
and the probable revocation of all their proceedings, which the Fiscal 
termed disparates, or nonsense. 



CHAPTER XXIX 



Ai-rival of the Ontario — Threat of the Viceroy to send me away — His Change of 
Opinion — Promise of Protection — Plan a Voyage to Valparaiso — Engage a 
Ship — Engagement broken — Disappointment — Embark for Valparaiso in the 
Andromache — Captain Sherifte, Officers, and Crew — Observance of the Sabbath 
— Kecreation — Masafuera — Juan Fernandez — Arrival. 




fi^JtlLlB, the proper authorities were taking the 
preliminary measures for an investigation of the 
doings of the Talcahuana government towards 
us, (near the last of June, 1818,) the Ontario 
arrived from Valparaiso, with the person charged 
by the Viceroy with powers to negotiate an exchange 
of prisoners. The satisfaction given by Captain 
Biddle on this mission, manifested by the Viceroy's 
presenting him with an elegant and costly sword, the 
lively interest he took in the restoration of our vessels, 
the attention given by the Viceroy to his representations 
:^^ on the subject, and the prevailing opinion that they must 
H-^w?" be restored, all confirmed the belief of a revocation of the 
doings at Talcahuana. 
Every thing relating to our affairs now wore an auspicious 
aspect, and my mind was busily engaged in forming the various plans 
for future operations, which depended equally on the amount of prop- 
erty restored, and on the privileges to be granted us. In imagina- 
tion, I was building up a fortune, which the peculiar political state of 
the country seemed to insure ; and from this coincidence of favora- 
ble circumstances, was in the enjoyment of a degree of complacency 
to which I had long been a stranger. But I was suddenly astonished 
and confounded by the information conveyed to me by Captain Biddle, 
directly from the Viceroy, that I was considered by his Excellency to 




322 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

be a dangerous man ; that he should not permit me to remain to set- 
tle my affairs ; but that I should be sent out of the country immedi- 
ately ; and the reason given for this determination, was information, 
from three different sources, that I had uttered treasonable opinions ; 
among others, having declared his government to be a tyrannical one, 
and that the sooner it was overthrown the better. 

As from a knowledge of the necessity of extreme caution on the 
subject of politics, I had always been on my guard, I did not hesitate 
to 'declare the accusation to be entirely false ; nor would my surprise 
have been greater, if I had been charged with intent to assassinate 
the Viceroy. This communication was made to me by Captain Bid- 
die at Callao, while he was on the point of sailing for Columbia River, 
and after he had taken leave of the Viceroy ; he could not, therefore, 
advocate my cause otherwise than by letter. On revolving in my 
mind, whence so malicious and wicked a report could originate, I 
could account for it in no other way, than that some of those scoun- 
drels who had been engaged in the plunder of my ship, and to whom 
I had often justly, but perhaps, imprudently, applied that epithet, being 
apprehensive of exposure, had adopted this measure to have me 
removed out of the way. 

With this impression, with Captain Biddle's letter, and with that 
confidence which conscious innocence inspires, T went, the next day, 
to the Viceroy. He received me with civility, and repeated what he 
had told Captain Biddle, that the accusation came from three sources. 
I positively denied the charge, made known my suspicion of its origin, 
and begged that my accusers might be called before him, while I 
was present. This he declined doing. I then assured him, that no 
one of his subjects could be less disposed to meddle with governmen- 
tal affairs than myself; that to send me away before my business was 
settled, would be attended with such ruinous consequences to me, 
that I should prefer remaining, even if it were under either of the 
hard conditions of being confined to the limits of St. Lorenzo, of 
being shut up in the Castle of Callao, or being confined to my ship, 
or my house ; and proposed to give bonds for the due observance of 
whichever should be determined by his Excellency. 

If he had been as perfectly convinced of my innocence as he 
appeared to be before of my guilt, he could not have evinced it more 



PLAN A VOYAGE TO VALPARAISO. 323 

decidedly. The expression of his countenance was suddenly chang- 
ed from the forbidding and angry, to the open and benign ; and he 
said to me, " No, Cleveland ; I will take none of those precautions ; 
your word of honor is sufficient, and I am convinced, if you made 
use of the expressions reported to me, it could only have been in an 
unguarded moment, and is, in a degree, palliated by the great provo- 
cations you have endured ; but," he added, with emphasis, " take 
care not to meddle with politics or religion, and depend upon my pro- 
tection while you are a resident here." Thus as a thundergust, 
whose violence threatens destruction to every thing within its range, 
passes harmlessly away, and is succeeded by serenity and sunshine, 
so were my prospects suddenly changed from the most gloomy and 
adverse, to bright and favorable. 

Although the cases of the Beaver and Canton (which were pre- 
cisely similar) involved no questions of intricacy : yet, to decide 
them, without the requisite waste of time, would have been entirely 
out of character ; neither justice, nor humanity could have excused 
it ; and so perfectly aware were we of this, that we only urged that 
the decisions might take place in time for Captain Biddle to take them 
to the United States, on his return from Columbia river. We had, 
therefore, to look forward to a period, of at least four months, in 
which, as no new questions were to be asked, my presence appeared 
entirely unnecessary, and my time lost, unless I could think of some 
plan for its employment. 

It occurred to me that a great opening was presented for a very 
lucrative voyage, by taking to Valparaiso a cargo of the produce of 
Peru, and returning with wheat, if permission could be obtained ; and 
if a suitable neutral vessel could be procured. I made known my 
plan to a rich mercantile house, who readily agreed to furnish the 
capital on joint account, under my direction, and to procure from the 
Viceroy the lisquisite permit. The only obstacle, now, was the want 
of a ship ; but, as the voyage would afford to pay extravagantly, I had 
no doubt of obtaining any whaling ship that might enter the port, if 
not loaded. 

These preliminary steps had hardly been taken, when there arrived 
precisely such a ship as was desired, with only sixty barrels of oil on 
board, having just arrived on the coast. I lost no time in applying to 



324 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

the captain to charter his ship ; and anticipating difficulties from the 
novelty of the undertaking to him, I expected to obviate them, by the 
very tempting proposal I was prepared to make, for the use of his 
ship for three or four months ; which would be as advantageous as a 
year's successful fishing. I offered him for the voyage to Valparaiso 
and back to Callao, fifteen thousand dollars ; to pay additionally, if 
he should be more than three months performing it ; and to provide 
storage for his casks and whaling materials gratis. The proposal 
was considered so liberal and tempting, that he agreed to accept it ; 
but unfortunately, between his doing so and the papers being prepar- 
ed for signing, his officers and men were guilty of some indiscretion, 
in consequence of a knowledge of this transaction, which induced 
him to apprehend that he was taking too great a responsibility upon 
himself, and he concluded to abandon the plan. 

The failure of this first attempt to retrieve my affiiirs, was a great 
disappointment, especially after I had succeeded in overcoming all 
the other obstacles ; but there was no other neutral vessel in port, to 
be procured ; and consequently no other remedy than the exercise of 
that patience on which such large drafts had already been made. 

Several weeks passed away, and I was each day anxiously looking 
out for the arrival of some other vessel, which would ofier the pros- 
pect of putting my enterprise into execution ; but I looked in vain. 
As the Canton was a sharp-built vessel, and sailed very fast, the gov- 
ernment determined to make use of her as a cruiser, during the time 
that an investigation into her case was going on. For this purpose, 
carpenters were busily engaged in making the requisite preparations 
for mounting a piece of artillery, on a pivot amidships, &c. &c. ; when 
a vessel of war was signalled, which was supposed to be the Ontario. 
Immediately all labor was suspended, and preparation made to undo 
the work already done. But when the vessel, instead of the Ontario, 
proved to be the British ship of war Blossom, the work was resumed, 
and the armament completed ; thus showing, among many other 
instances, the deference paid by the authorities to the presence of a 
national vessel, and its importance in securing the safety of property. 
The Canton, being equipped for war, sailed on a cruise in company 
with another armed ship, and assisted in capturing the Chilian priva- 
teer Maipo, after a severe action. She was afterwards restored to 



EMBARK FOR VALPARAISO. 325 

her original master, and, after navigating the coast about a year, return- 
ed to the United States. 

Impatient from inactivity, and such unprofitable expenditure of 
time, and aware how much more must be lost before the restoration of 
the ship should give me employment, I determined to find something 
to do. It appeared to me that a trip to Valparaiso v/ould be placing 
myself in the current of affairs, and that, should nothing advantage- 
ous present itself, it would be a change of scene ; and that my ex- 
penses would be scarcely greater than if I remained stationary at 
Lima. As the Andromache, English frigate, was on the point of 
sailing for that port, I succeeded with her commander in obtaining a 
passage ; and having procured a passport from the Viceroy, I em- 
barked, and sailed on the morning of the 3d of August. 

The beautiful manner in which the ship was got under way, made 
a strong impression on my mind, from an exhibition of discipline 
which I had never before seen. When the marines were dismissed 
after the morning parade, the colors hoisted, and the national air, 
" God save the King," played, every officer and man being at his 
station, and the capstern manned, a signal was made by the captain, 
to heave ahead ; the cable came in briskly ; the anchor was soon 
tript, and up ready for hooking the cat. While the ship was swing- 
ing round, the men, who had been stationed for the purpose, at the 
shrouds of each mast, on a signal given, ran up simultaneously to cast 
loose the sails, while the requisite number were stationed below, to 
sheet home, and hoist up ; so that almost in a moment, the ship was 
under a crowd of sail, and swiftly leaving the port ; and all this effect- 
ed without a word being spoken, and as if by the effect of magic. 

We arrived at Valparaiso, afier a delightful passage of twenty-four 
days. 1 cannot allow the pleasant time I spent on board this frigate 
to pass without some notice and without acknowledging the erroneous 
impressions I had imbibed, of a British ship of war. In common 
with 'many others, and especially those, like myself, whose reminis- 
cences were of a date as remote as our revolutionary war, I had im- 
agined an English man-of-war to be a small epitome of hell, where 
tyrannizing over the crew constituted the principal enjoyment of the 
officers. That there were great abuses of this kind in the navy, 
from a very early period, up to the alarming revolt under President 
28 



326 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

Parker, I have no doubt, any more than I have that abuses have occa- 
sionally existed since ; but, on board the Andromache, there was 
never any unnecessary severity. 

Captain SherifFe, having had the advantage of moving in the most 
elevated and polished society at home, and of receiving his profes- 
sional education from one of the most able commanders in the British 
navy, united the manners and urbanity of the gentleman, to those of 
the skilful and accomplished commander. His indefatigable persever- 
ance in attending to the protection of the commercial interests of his 
country, and his judicious conduct in his intercourse with the govern- 
ments of Chili and Peru, in the most trying times, were no less evi- 
dence of his superior abilities, than of the wisdom and discrimination 
of those who appointed him. Nor did these important duties interfere 
with those of his ship's company, to whose morals, manners, cleanli- 
ness, and comfort he was attentive, at the same time granting them 
so many innocent indulgences, that they certainly constituted the hap- 
piest ship's company I had ever seen. 

With such a commander, the officers could not fail to be gentle- 
manly in their deportment, and attentive to their duty ; but, indepen- 
dently of such example, there was evidently an innate desire among 
them to second the views of their worthy commander ; and, messing 
with them, I had good opportunity of witnessing a degree of amia- 
bility, harmony, and good fellowship, which, unfortunately, is not 
always met with in the ward-room. Of their kind attention to me, 
and desire to make me comfortable, I shall always retain a grateful 
recollection.* 

With Captain Sheriffe, the passengers, of whom there were four 
besides myself, were invited to dine in rotation, and my turn was, 
generally, two or three times a week. An excellent band of 
about twenty performers, always played during dinner ; invariably 
beginning with " God save the King," and ending with " Rule Britan- 
nia." After dinner, the men were usually exercised at the great 
guns ; and if the weather was ever so fine, the topsails were always 

* One of the Lieutenants was a son of the Admiral Cochrane, who, by stripping me 
of my property, in the West Indies, created the necessity for my being now voyaging in 
the Pacific. He was a gentlemanly young man ; and was ignorant of the suffering 
his father had caused me. 



ARRIVAL AT VALPARAISO. 327 

reefed before sunset. Sparring, fencing, and dancing, were the 
amusements of the midshipmen, in which the Captain would fre- 
quently join. 

The seamen, also, had their hours of relaxation, music, and dan- 
cing, once or twice a week. Sunday never failed to be duly hallowed. 
Soon after breakfast, every officer appeared on the quarter-deck in 
his uniform ; the marines were dressed clean and paraded. The 
gun-deck, having been previously prepared with benches, and a tem- 
porary pulpit, at a signal given (usually about ten o'clock) every one 
attended worship, which was performed with as much solemnity and 
decency, as I ever witnessed in any church. The chaplain never 
failed to give a plain, good, moral lesson, perfectly adapted to the 
understandings of his audience ; and such as they could not fail to 
profit by. The music, from the full band, was delightful ; and when 
they played, as they often did, the Portuguese and Pleyel's hymns, 
which were familiar to me, they called up associations of by-gone 
and happier days. 

On the 24th, we passed between the Islands Masafuera and Juan 
Fernandez ; the next day was passed in sailing by the latter, to the 
southward of it ; and the day after, we arrived at Valparaiso. In the 
numerous passages I have made at sea, I have no recollection of any 
one that afforded such a course of uninterrupted enjoyment, and 
which was so entirely pleasant as this in the Andromache. It has 
made an agreeable impression on my mind, which will never be 
obliterated. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



Visit to the Governor — Difiference in Effect of old and new Government —Tariff — 
Mistaken Policy — Meet some of the Beaver's Men — Expectation of Arrival of 
Supreme Director — Eejoicing on his Arrival — Meet -wdth Eibas — Introduced to the 
Supreme Director — Proposal to enter the Service — Charter a Brig — Embargo — 
Journey to Santiago — Cuesta de Prado — Maipo — Sketch of the City — Ketum to 
Valparaiso. 




iB.^lBM^'M^IB'HY after coming to anchor, I 
went on shore with the Captain of the port, who 
conducted me to the Governor's, where I was in- 
terrogated concerning the affairs of Lima. After 
answering a m.ultitude of questions, and delivering 
to the Governor all the letters of which I had 
charge, I was permitted to take leave, and to pursue 
my own private affairs. While seeking the residence 
of our worthy consul, Mr. Hill, with whom I intended 
transacting my business, I accidentally and unfortu- 
nately met a relative from Boston, who persuaded me, 
the house with which he was intimate, Higginson, 
O'Brien & Co. would do my business more advantageously 
than any other in the place. Relying on this information, I 
accompanied my friend to this house ; was introduced to the 
partners of it ; accepted their invitation to take up my quarters with 
them, and had my baggage transported there. 

These important preliminaries being settled, I had an opportunity 
of leisurely traversing those streets which my friend Shaler and I 
had trodden together, sixteen years before. The government was 
then of the most despotic character, and the most determined feature 
of it was the exclusion of all foreigners, excepting those in distress, 
for whom provision was made by treaty. The government now pro- 
fessed to be republican ; but it was so in name only, as the military 



REMARKS. 329 

tyi'aiiny was as great as it ever had been. But the admission of 
foreigners, and their commerce, gave an air of life and activity, which 
was never before known. 

The lapse of so many years appeared to have made no alteration 
in the aspect of the town. It was as exactly what it was when I was 
here before, as if time had stood still ; no new houses, no improve* 
ments ; and the greater bustle in the streets was caused by the for- 
eigners. The most striking feature presented, to mark the difference 
between that period and this, was the harbor, in which there were 
then two or three merchant vessels, with the royal flag hoisted. Now 
the harbor was crowded, and besides the Chilian vessels of war, the 
flags of many of the European nations, as well as that of the United 
States, were seen displayed* 

But the resources of Chili are yet unequal to supporting a great 
commerce ; and political economy is so little understood by its 
rulers, that they fail to derive all the advantage from it, of which it is 
susceptible. This, among other things, is manifested in their blind^ 
ness to the truth of the seeming contradiction, that more revenue is col* 
lected when the duty on imports is ten per cent, than when it is forty* 
Yet, as this last was the policy of the old government, they adhere to 
it ; so that, although this government is but of yesterday, there ex- 
ists the same system of smuggling, and the same degree of corrup- 
tion in the revenue officers, that was practised under the old regime* 
And it is most probable, that the present generation will pass away 
before the public injury arising from this wretched policy is detected^ 
and then another one, before it is corrected. 

In my wanderings about the town, I fell in with the boatswain and 
the cook of the Beaver, both of whom were among the number who 
escaped in the boat at Talcahuana. The former had seen hard and 
dangerous service, but had also shared in a prize, from which he de* 
rived more emolument than he would if he had performed the voyage 
in the Beaver safely. The latter was one of the number who board- 
ed the Esmeralda from the Lautaro, and was so fortunate as to secure 
a retreat when he perceived the ships to be separating. He informed 
me that our carpenter, Svend Anderson, was also among those who 
boarded the Spanish frigate ; but less fortunate than his shipmate, he 
Was slain on that ship's deck. It is due to this manj en passant, to 
28* 



SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

say, that he was an excellent carpenter, an orderly, active, and indus- 
trious man, and was probably induced to engage in this enterprise 
from want of employment. The two first were so well pleased with 
the excitement incident to the pursuit of war, and to the greater emol- 
uments they might chance to derive from it, that they declined my 
proposal of returning with me to Lima, to join their old ship again. 

As it was known that the Supreme Director would soon come to 
Valparaiso, to be present at the sailing of the fleet, I relinquished the 
plan of proceeding directly to Santiago, as 1 had intended. Great 
bodies, however, are proverbial for moving slowly, as this instance 
verified, for more than a week had elapsed from the time when, ac- 
cording to public rumor, he should have arrived. At length, however, 
the extended cavalcade was seen over the distant hills, making its 
way towards the town, and the long-expected chief and his family, 
with the proper military escort, arrived amid a cloud of dust, the 
clang of arms, the roar of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the wel- 
coming cheer of the mob. 

While at my door, engaged in seeing the procession pass, and as I 
supposed, unknowing and unknown to everybody, I was much sur- 
prised to see a pei*son leave the procession, and, approaching me with 
earnestness, call me by name. He immediately dismounted to salute 
me, and I then perceived it to be Francis Ribas, the young gentleman 
who came out as clerk of the Beaver, and escaped in the boat as be- 
fore narrated. We had then time only to exchange mutual acknowl- 
edgments of satisfaction, at this very unexpected meeting. The 
next day we met again, when he apologized for leaving me as 
he had done at Talcahuana, and related his very narrow escape. He 
said, that the balls from the musketry of the pursuers passed far ahead of 
their boat, but fortunately no person was hurt ; that the Patriot cavalry 
were watching their approach, and were ready at the sea-shore to re- 
ceive them and arrest further pursuit ; that he was conducted to the Com- 
mander-in-chief at Conception, who received him very kindly, and provi- 
ded him with the means of proceeding to Santiago, where he recom- 
mended his going to see the Supreme Director ; that his reception by 
this chief had been of the most friendly character; that he renewed 
his wardrobe, took him into his family, and gave him employment 
in the Secretary's office, to which he was then attached. In- 



SUPREME DIRECTOR. 331 

deed, I found that my friend Ribas, like the others who escaped with 
him, had changed his prospects so much for the better, as to have no 
desire to join the Beaver again. 

By Mr. Ribas I was introduced to the Supreme Director, O'Higgins, 
whose father had been greatly distinguished in the Chilian annals as a 
public benefactor. This son probably owed his high post to the ven- 
eration existing for his father's memory ; for although admitted to be 
a man of good moral character, and of a good heart, there was noth- 
ing but his name and fortune to make him a prominent candidate for 
the responsible office of Supreme Director, even in quiet tim.es, much 
less in those of revolution and war, like the present. His appearance 
was plain, simple, and becoming a republican, approximating more to 
that of an honest farmer, than to the refinement of a gentleman. He 
received me with great cordiality, expressed much sympathy in the 
misfortunes and perplexities 1 had suffered, hoped I should recover 
the property so unjustly taken from me, &c. He then made many 
inquiries relative to the state of affairs at Lima ; how the military 
and naval forces were then disposed of; whether there were any ru- 
mors circulating of an attack from the Chilian squadron ; if the peo- 
ple appeared to apprehend such an attack, &c. To all which queries 
I replied in as laconic a manner as possible. 

Mr. Ribas had undoubtedly impressed him very favorably towards 
me, for, in this first interview, he offered me a commission in the 
Chilian navy. Making due acknowledgment for the favorable opin- 
ion this proposal indicated, I told him that there existed scarce a 
doubt of the restoration of my ship ; that, however much I should be 
pleased to use my efforts in promoting the cause of the revolution, 
my duty to my employers was paramount, and forbade my neglect- 
ing their interest, for this or any other purpose. As he had ex- 
pressed so much feeling for my misfortunes, I was induced then to 
ask him, so far to contribute to their relief, as to grant me permission 
to lade a small vessel with wheat for Lima. He encouraged me to 
expect that this permission would be given ; but said he must first 
consult his secretaries, and would give an answer the next day. The 
interview having continued nearly an hour, to the great annoyance of 
many who were waiting in the antechamber, I made my bow and 
retreated. On the presumption, that if the decision should be unfa- 



S33 SSEVENttt VOYAGE. 

vorable to my taking a cargo of wheat, there could exist no possible 
objection to my going in ballast, I had already chartered the English 
brig Livonia, to lade for Lima and thence back to Valparaiso with 
another cargo of nine thousand dollars. In the expectation of a 
favorable answer from the Supreme Director, I waited on him the 
next day, at the hour appointed, and was disappointed to find him less 
disposed to accede to my wishes than I had any reason to expect, from 
the interview of yesterday* The secretaries, I had ascertained, 
urged the impolicy of granting such privilege, exclusively to one 
individual, and suggested the advantage that would result to the rev- 
enue, by making it general. In conformity with this idea, it was 
immediately proclaimed, that licenses for lading wheat for Lima, 
would be granted, on condition of paying an export duty of four dol- 
lars the fanega. This duty was nearly double the original cost, and 
with the duty and charges in Lima would make it come so high as to 
afford no prospect of benefit, and determined me, therefore, to have 
nothing to do with it. My best course now appeared to be, to proceed, 
as soon as possible, to Lima, and to depend on the profits of the 
return cargo, or on freight, for the requisite compensation. 

With this intention, the brig being ready, I was on the point of 
sailing, when I had a proposition to lade the vessel with manufactures* 
There were two objections to this ; the first, was the fear of an em- 
bargo, which there was no doubt would take place prior to the sailing 
of the fleet ; the second, was the uncertainty of obtaining the admis- 
sion of such a cargo at Lima. The first difficulty was obviated by 
the contractor engaging to lade the vessel in five days, and if not so 
laden, she was to proceed with what she had on board, at the expira- 
tion of that time. The second, by his stipulating, that if the cargo 
should not be admitted at Lima, and the brig should in consequence, 
be compelled to return with it to Valparaiso, he would pay the amount 
of the charter. Thus having a fair prospect of reaping great advan- 
tage, without incurring any risk, I closed the contract, and imme- 
diately set about loading the brig. 

Before the five days had elapsed, however, my apprehension of the 
embargo was realized. It was proclaimed to exist till the sailing of 
the fleet. Although this act was dictated by prudence and wisdom at 
this time, yet my impatience became so great that I had serious 



CITY OF SANTIAGO. 333 

thoughts of eluding it, by going off alone in a boat ; in which I should 
have no doubt of reaching Lima in safety. But beside the assurance, 
that the fleet would sail at the time appointed, and that the embargo 
would be raised immediately after, was to be taken into consideration 
the effect of such an act upon the enterprise on which I had already 
engaged, and these causes combined to produce the requisite resig- 
nation. 

On perceiving that a month, at least, must elapse before the em- 
bargo would be raised, during which, to remain idle at Valparaiso 
would be very tedious, I determined to fill up the time by making a 
visit to the Chilian capital. Accordingly, early in September, I set 
out with a party of three, on this journey, on horseback, for the roads 
were too rough for the use of light carriages. As there was no cause 
for hurrying, we jogged on very leisurely, taking three days to per- 
form a journey of only thirty leagues. The exercise, being of a 
kind to which I was entirely unaccustomed, was, however very 
fatiguing to me. We found no other accommodation for travellers, 
on this road, than such as is offered by the houses of the peasantry, 
which is indeed very miserable, bad enough to induce an effort to go 
through in a day, if possible. That the road was as good as we found 
it, was owing chiefly to the indefatigable exertions of a former Pres- 
ident, O'.Higgins, who evinced a mind of no ordinary compass, in 
planning and causing to be executed, that part of the road which leads 
to the city over the Cuesta de Prado, or hill of the meadow, a labor 
of such great utility, and of such (for the time when it was made) 
stupendous magnitude, as to perpetuate his name. 

The borders of the zigzag road, over this hill, are lined with shrub- 
bery, among which the thornbush prevailed, which, being at this 
time in blossom, perfumed the air with a delicious fragrance. At the 
summit, the view is very extensive, beautiful, and magnificent, in- 
creased by the invariable clearness of the atmosphere. The northern 
view is limited by the towering Andes. The southern and eastern, 
by hills of less magnitude ; the intervening space being beautiful, 
rich, and well-irrigated meadows. As far as a judgment could be 
formed of the agricultural state of the country, from the transient 
view taken on our route, I should suppose it to be susceptible of great 
improvement. We reached the house of our friend at Santiago in 



334 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

the evening, after crossing the Cuesta de Prado, so much fatigued, 
that I was very glad to retire early to bed. A good night's rest was 
attended with refreshing effects ; and with renovated energy I went 
forth, in the morning, " to see the lions." 

The impressions made, on a first ramble over this city, are prepos- 
sessing. It had more the air of cleanliness, and attention to the com- 
forts of the most numerous class, the pedestrians, than any other 
Spanish city I had ever seen. A week's residence within its walls 
made me familiar with its streets, public buildings, walks, &c. ; of 
which I shall attempt only a hasty sketch. This capital of the Chil- 
ian republic is situated on a fine fertile plain, at the foot of the Andes. 
The river Mapocho, over which a fine bridge of stone is erected, con- 
necting the suburbs with the city, is prevented inundating the city, 
during the period of freshets, by strong barriers of masonry on each 
side. That on the side of the city, in addition to the original pur- 
pose, forms one of the most agreeable and most frequented public 
walks. The southern extremity of the plain is bounded by the river 
Maipo ; a name rendered for ever memorable in the Chilian annals, 
by the decisive victory gained over the invading Royal army, which 
unalterably established the independence of Chili. 

In the eastern part of the city, rises abruptly from the plain a 
remarkable rocky hill, called St. Lucia, which is said, formerly, to 
have been fortified as a defence against the Indians. This fortifica- 
tion has, by a late royal President, been renewed, and some cannon 
mounted on it, with a view to overawe the populace ; and hence the 
name of the President's Folly has been given to it. 

In most Catholic cities, the churches are the structures most costly 
and magnificent ; and though Santiago is not deficient in this respect, 
yet the building called the Mint, and the exterior appearance of the 
custom-house, are far more imposing and magnificent than any other. 
The Mint, which was designed by, and built under the superinten- 
dence of, a native and self-taught architect, is the pride of the city, 
and indeed would be creditable to any city of Europe. But it is ob- 
jected by some, thai the resources of Chili, even in her most pros- 
perous days, would not justify its great expense. The private dwel- 
lings, excepting a greater proportion of houses of two stories, are 
built precisely like those of Lima, forming a hollow square or court, 



RETURN TO VALPARAISO. 335 

and occupying a great space of ground. The streets, which intersect 
at right angles, are generally of a good breadth, and, for the most 
part, clean ; and good side-walks prove, that plebeian comforts are 
more attended to here, than at Lima. 

The Great Square, which is justly the boast of all Spanish cities, 
is very fine, each side measuring between four and five hundred feet. 
The Cathedral, Bishop's palace, Audiencia, and other fine buildings, 
form its sides ; and the centre is adapted to the exercise of troops. 
The women have no peculiarity of dress, like those of Lima, but 
observe the European fashions. They are generally admitted to be 
pretty and amiable, and no more cultivated than is proper to make 
them fitting companions for the men. The population is estimated 
at sixty thousand. On the whole, it must be admitted, that Santiago 
possesses a climate which is unrivalled for its salubrity, that it is a 
desirable residence for the man of leisure, for the philosopher, or for 
men in office ; but, as a commercial city, it can never be great or 
flourishing. 

The object of my visit to Santiago being accomplished, — that of 
wearing away so much time, — I returned to Valparaiso, accompa- 
nied by one of the gentlemen who came up with me. We passed 
one night only on the road ; and, at the close of the second day's 
journey, reached our destination, less fatigued than with our ride up. 
As the embargo was not yet raised, my absence had, in no degree, 
retarded or injured my business ; and I derived no less satisfaction 
from this consideration, than from having accomplished an object 
requiring a kind of exertion to which I was entirely unused, — riding 
on horseback. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



Sail for Callao — Arrival — Eevocation of tlie Decree of Condemnation — Overtures 
to buy the Ship — Take possession of the Beaver — Obligations to Captain Biddle 
— Livonia — Obligation to Captain Sheriffe — Embargo — Blossom, English Vessel 
of War— Judge Provost — His bad Odor with the Viceroy — Difficulty of procur- 
ing Men — Obviated by Prisoners — Capture of Isabella — Expectation of the Chi- 
lian Fleet — Eemove the Beaver below the Fleet — Keady for Sea. 




IJ^W Squadron, on whose account the embargo had 
been laid, having sailed, and the Supreme Director 
having returned to Santiago, I waited in daily ex- 
pectation of being permitted to sail ; but such per- 
mission was not granted till the 28th of October, 
when the sailing of the British frigate Andromache, 
for Lima, left no further plea for our detention. 
Accordingly, we sailed the next day, in the Livonia, for 
Callao. During the passage we experienced no other 
than the favorable breezes, fine weather, and smooth 
sea, which are so common in making this passage, and, 
after twelve days, arrived safely at Callao. 

Before coming to anchor, a boat came alongside from the 
Ontario, in which I went immediately on board the ship to 
see Captain Biddle. He received me very cordially ; told 
me he had been earnestly attempting to bring the government to a 
decision in the cases of the Beaver and Canton ; that, with this view, 
he had stated to the Viceroy the sensation which had been caused in 
the United States by the capture of these vessels, the importance of 
their restoration to a continuance of the harmony which existed be- 
tween their respective governments, and the hope that a favorable 
decision would be made in time to take it with him to the United 
States. These representations were earnest, friendly, in accordance 
with duty, and doubtless had an effect in hastening the business ; but 



DECREE OF CONDEMNATION REVOKED. 837 

the restoration of the ship, and what remained of her cargo, were 
acts entirely independent of these efforts, and are of a description, 
which prudential reasons prevent being made public. 

At length, on the 20th of November, the long looked-for decree 
was issued, revoking that of Talcahuana, declaring that no cause of 
condemnation had existed, and that the ship, and whatever portion of 
the cargo remained in the government stores, should be restored 
forthwith, and that I must seek for the residue and damages where 
I thought proper. 

There had existed no doubt of this decision ; but the ship, having 
been twelve months in the hands of the Spaniards, was in a very- 
dilapidated state. A crew could be obtained only with great difficulty, 
and the original object of the voyage was destroyed. A merchant 
of Lima, of the first respectability, aware of these circumstances, and 
presuming that my course would be the short and common one, in 
such pases, of selling the ship at public auction, for the benefit of the 
underwriters, made overtures to me to buy her in for joint account, 
to be employed in freighting on the coast. His furnishing the money, 
and my commanding the ship, were to be considered a balance for 
each other, and the profits to be equally divided. The proposal wad 
a tem.pting one ; as there was no doubt it would lead directly to for- 
tune. But it was obvious, if the ship could be advantageously em- 
ployed, it should be for account of owners and underwriters ; and 
feeling that in making up to them any portion of the property which 
had been lost, while under my care, would be more gratifying to me 
than the acquisition of fortune under such circumstances, I did not 
hesitate to decline the proposal. 

On the 25th of November, an officer of the royal marine, having 
been appointed to deliver up the ship to me, I went on board with 
him, accompanied by a few men from the Ontario, and took formal 
possession of the ship, and such of her sails, rigging and stores, as 
remained. These being very few, the business of reception was soon 
accomplished, when we discharged a cannon, and displayed the Amer- 
ican colors, once more, on the Beaver. This signal being under- 
stood on board the Ontario, a strong detachment of men, with Lieu- 
tenant Stephens at their head, came on board, and before night had 
completely stripped the ship to a girtline. 
29 



338 SEVENTH VOYAGE, 

If the Spaniards are filthy on board their own ships, it was fair to 
presume they would be more so on board one, which was supposed to 
be held only temporarily. We were therefore not surprised, to find 
the Beaver dirty in the extreme. Indeed, had we not had the good 
fortune of obtaining an abundant supply of men from the Ontario, 
much time must have been expended before we could have accom- 
plished the requisite labor. With these the ship was cleansed and 
rigged in a very short time, compared with that in which it could 
have been done with the laborers obtainable at Callao, and at a less 
expense. For this I felt myself greatly indebted to Captain Biddle, 
who extended his kindness still further, by supplying a want, which 
was imperative, and which I was unable to provide for in any other 
way, namely, that of a person to act as first officer ; and one who 
would be qualified to take charge of the ship and property in the 
event of accident to myself This person was midshipman Alexander 
B. Pinkham, an active, efficient, and intelligent officer, whose services 
were invaluable. The obligation, therefore, of owners and master to 
Captain Biddle, great as it was before, was much increased by this 
manifestation of desire to do all in his power for us. Indeed, his 
efforts were not confined to the rule prescribed by duty. He remained 
many days after being ready for sea, that I might have the benefit 
of his influence in obtaining a privilege which I sought, that of intro- 
ducing a cargo into Lima from China, and in procuring an acknowledg- 
ment, and some kind of liquidation, of the debt. 

The first object was defeated, by the opposing influence of the factors 
of the Philippine Company ; but the Viceroy promised, in lieu of it, to 
grant some special privileges on the Peruvian coast. It was apparent, 
however, that there was no sincerity in these promises ; and, as further 
delay would be prejudicial to the service, without benefiting us, Cap- 
tain Biddle determined to lose no more time, and sailed on the 6th of 
December for Valparaiso, on his way to the United States. 

In the meantime, the impediments that had been thrown in the way, 
by the Consulado and merchants of Lima, to prevent the Livonia from 
landing her cargo, were of so serious and determined a character, 
that nothing short of its being met with equal determination, on the 
part of Captain Sheriffe, of the Andromache, could have saved the 
enterprise from defeat. In the course of a week after her arrival, 



PREPARATIONS FOR A VOYAGE. 339 

the Livonia had been three times ordered by the Viceroy to leave the 
port, and each time had taken refuge under the guns of the Androm- 
ache. At length, with a degree of perseverance, not inferior to that 
which had been manifested by Captain Biddle in our behalf, permis- 
sion was obtained by Captain SherifFe to tranship the cargo. This 
permission was understood by both parties to mean., that while a 
small portion was sent on board another ship, to be taken out leisurely, 
the greater was to be taken ashore. By this Jesuitical manoeuvre, 
the opposition of the Consulado was appeased, and the object obtained 
with but little additional trouble and expense. 

As soon as the brig was unloaded, I obtained permission to relade 
her with a cargo of Peruvian produce for Chili ; but as there existed 
a probability of great competition, I was afraid to risk a large amount 
on my own account ; and therefore, loaded only one fourth the ton- 
nage, taking the other three fourths on freight. With a view of ar- 
riving at Valparaiso before any of the other vessels, intended to be 
laden for that port, I had made great exertions and spared no expense ; 
but I was again destined to experience delay and disappointment. The 
Livonia, being all ready for sea, the 15th of January, 1819, I applied 
for the requisite clearance, and was informed that it could not be 
granted ; inasmuch as an embargo was then laid on all ships in port, 
till the St. Antonio (with treasure) should have sailed for Spain. 
Though from taking on freight so large a portion of the lading of the 
Livonia, I had already secured a handsome emolument from my enter- 
prise, this detention, by favoring competitors, seemed to annihilate the 
brilliancy of the prospect first presented ; but there was no other 
resource than patience. 

Early in this month (January, 1819,) arrived the English sloop 
of war Blossom, Captain Hickey, from Columbia River, having on 
board Judge Provost, of New York. This vessel had been despatched 
to Columbia River for the purpose of making a formal surrender / 
of Astoria to Judge Provost, — the agent of the United States, — ap- jj 
pointed for that and other purposes in the Pacific. This business " 
appears to have been accomplished to mutual satisfaction, as both par- 
ties gave evidence of a reciprocity of kind feeling. 

It would have been advantageous for the American interest here, if 
equal good feeling had existed between the American Agent and the 



340 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

Viceroy ; but unfortunately, the very reverse was the case. This 
Agent, from being the first American who ever appeared in the Peru- 
vian capital in a public capacity, not less than from the favorable dis- 
position of the Viceroy towards us, had an opportunity of obtaining 
commercial advantages, and of rendering services to his countrymen 
in various ways, which no other foreigner ever possessed before ; but 
these were entirely paralyzed and lost, by his incapacity of conceal- 
ing his hostility to the royal government, and by his being a partisan 
of the revolutionists. His sentiments on these points were expressed 
so imprudently, so unnecessarily, and in so unreserved a manner, 
that they gave great offence to the Vicero}'-, and were productive of 
such coolness, that the common civility which is expected to be 
observed by a private individual on leaving the country, was either 
dispensed with by the Viceroy or purposely neglected by the diplo- 
matist. From the acquaintance I here formed with Mr. Provost, I 
was fully persuaded of the sincerity of his sympathy in my misfor- 
tunes, and of his satisfaction at my prospect of surmounting them ; 
but as to being indebted to his exertions and address for the restora- 
tion of the Beaver, as is recorded in one of the New York Gazettes 
of the day, so far from this being the case, his interference could not 
have failed to be prejudicial ; and, aware of this, he did not use any. 

While all commercial operations were suspended by the embargo, 
1 was busily engaged in having the Beaver prepared to be ready for 
sea, as soon as it should be raised. For this purpose, we were kindly 
supplied with the requisite number of men from the Andromache, as 
none were procurable from shore ; indeed, such was the scarcity of 
foreign seamen, that to collect the number required for the Beaver, 
appeared impossible. In making the exertions which I did for the 
restoration of the ship, which were the cause of that restoration, in 
undertaking the arduous task of manning and victualling the ship in 
a place so difficult as that of Callao, and in pursuing a freighting busi- 
ness on the coast, with no other than a crew made up of the most 
disorderly men, I was actuated only by an ambition to retrieve the 
loss, and to convince my employer that his confidence had not been 
misplaced, as this plan was entirely independent of my own private 
emolument. Indeed, as far as my own interest was concerned, the 
obligation to which the restoration of the ship subjected me, was man- 



WAITING FOR A LICENSE. 311 

ifestly very detrimental ; as, but for this, with far less trouble, I could 
have obtained much greater profit. 

As it was desirable, on various considerations, to lose no time after 
the embargo should be raised, the ship was put in complete readiness ; 
but the difficulty of procuring men seemed to be insurmountable. As a 
last resource, though a somewhat hopeless one, I made known my 
embarrassment to the Viceroy, stating to him, that the restoration of 
my ship would be of no advantage without men ; that men were not 
procurable at Callao, and that it would be conferring a great obligation, 
if he would permit me to select twelve or fifteen men from among the 
prisoners in the castle of Callao. He hesitated some moments at this 
proposal ; but, after a little reflection, assented, on the condition that 
I would engage to do all in my power to prevent their again joining 
the ships of the enemy. 

Acceding to this condition, the observance of which was more 
important to me than to him, he gave me an order to the governor of 
the castle, to deliver me fifteen men. There were, at this time, nearly 
a hundred prisoners in the castle ; a large portion of whom had been 
taken in the Chilian privateer Maipo. They were of all nations, but 
principally English and Americans. As soon as they knew that I 
had an order for the release of fifteen of their number, the solicitude 
of all was so great to be among the fortunate ones, that making the 
selection was a task so disagreeable, that I relinquished it to the jailer, 
and took the chance of having inferior men. Having selected and 
taken the names of the men, they were not permitted to go on board 
till the embargo should be raised. 

I had not yet obtained the license for lading with wheat and rice at 
Guanchaca, whence a freight was offered, but was daily encouraged 
by the Viceroy to expect it ; for, although the Lima ship-owners were 
afraid to send their ships out, they were so clamorous against the 
novelty of substituting foreign ships in the coasting trade, that the 
Viceroy appeared to be intimidated, and deferred from day to day the 
promised license. 

A visit from the Chilian squadron was generally and soon expect- 
ed. Its augmented force, resulting from the recent capture at Talca- 
huana, of the Royal frigate Maria Isabella, and the circumstance 
of Lord Cochrane's having been appointed to the supreme command, 
29* 



848 SEVENTH YOYAGS;. 

were known at Lima. Being impressed with the idea, that this com- 
mander had been distinguished for intrepidity, where all were intrepid, 
and recollecting that he had been selected as best fitted to lead the 
party destined to burn the French fleet in Basque Roads, I presumed 
that burning that of Callao would be no more than spori for him ; 
and never failed to express this opinion, whenever the expected attack 
was the subject of conversation. In confirmation of this belief, I 
took the precaution to move the Beaver some way below the shipping. 
I had been repeatedly urged by Mr. Provost not to incur the risk 
of having my ship burned, by waiting for a license, which he did not 
believe would ever be given to me ; but, to leave the place before the 
arrival of the fleet might cut ofl* all possibility of doing so. The 
?idvice, I knew to be well intended and disinterested ; but, it was cer- 
tain, that he could not be so competent to judge of the risk of having 
the ship burned, as I was ; and as to his opinion of the Viceroy's 
intentions, he was too blinded by prejudice to form a correct one ; 
therefore, I preferred my own course, which was that of persevering 
until there should be an opening for some advantageous operation, 
for which the promised license would be granted. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



Embargo raised — An-ival of the Chilian Fleet — Cannonading with the Batteries — 
Useless result — Eemoval of the Beaver— Disposition of the Crew to desert — Visit of 
the Viceroy — Obtain a License — Chilian Proclamation of Blockade — Visit Lord 
Cochrane's Ship — Insolence of her Captain — Sail from Pisco ■— Arrival there-— 
Mutiny of the Crew -=— Suppressed — Sail for Guanchaca. 




i^ Sunday, the 21st of February, the Andromache, 

with Mr. Provost as passenger, and the Livonia 

under her convoy, sailed for Valparaiso ; at the 

same time sailed the Blossom, v/ith a large amount 

of treasure, and the English brig Alexander, 

both destined for Hio Janeiro. As the Livonia. 

was now fairly on her way to Valparaiso, as no 

other of the neutral vessels had yet begun to lade 

for that port, and as the arrival of the Chilian squad- 

ron, momentarily expected, might prevent them, I 

began to entertain more flattering expectations of my 

speculation, and to regret that I had not taken a greater 

interest in it. 

Although the San Antonio had not sailed, yet she was so 

nearly ready, that the Viceroy did not consider it of impor- 

^ tance to require Captain SherifFe to defer his departure any 

longer on this account. In this, however, there was an evident want 
of judgment ; as Captain Sheriffe fell in with the Chilian squadron, 
in forty-eight hours after leaving Callao. It is presumable, that the 
Chilian commander obtained no information of the San Antonio being 
on the point of sailing, otherwise he would not have proceeded imme- 
diately for Callao, but would have remained out of sight, to wind- 
ward, where this rich ship would have fallen into his hands. Fortu- 
nately for the owners of the property on board this ship, her depar- 



344 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

ture was deferred from day to day, until the 38th of February, when 
the arrival of the Chilian squadron put it out of the question. 

This is the season of the year when the atmosphere is almost in- 
cessantly enveloped in a thick fog, and it was at this time extremely 
dense. It happened that the Viceroy had selected this day to make 
his annual visit to the fleet and line of defence recently completed. 
While on this duty, and making a circuit in the bay, on board the 
brig Maipo, unsuspicious of danger, his retreat was near being cut 
off, and him.self made prisoner, by the O'Higgins and the Lautaro, 
Chilian ships of war. The brig had just returned, and come to an- 
chor, when, the fog dispersing, presented these two ships within half 
cannot-shot distance of the castle. The Maria Isabella, or O'Higgins, 
as now called, displayed the American flag, but this was disregarded 
at the fort ; as, immediately, the cannonading began from the castle, 
fort, and men-of-war. The guns, however, were evidently elevated 
for ships at a greater distance, as, for a few minutes, we saw the 
shot, falling in abundance, a long way outside the Chilian ships ; and 
then again every object was hidden from our sight, by a return of the 
fog. As neither party could now see any object to aim at, we had 
soon evidence that they were firing at random, for several shot passed 
between our masts, and were striking the water, both inside and out- 
side of the Beaver. Fearing, therefore, that the ship might sustain 
some serious injury, we slipped our cables, and made sail to get out 
of the way. In the course of ten minutes, we perceived ourselves 
to be close alongside a large ship, which proved to be the San Mar- 
tin, of sixty-four guns. Captain Wilkinson. The fog continuing to 
be so dense that friend could not be distinguished from foe, — we 
came near having the whole broadside of that heavy ship poured into 
us ; every man was at his station, matches lighted, and waiting only 
the word, fire ; when they perceived us to be a merchant ship, with 
the American flag.* We soon after came to anchor about four miles 
below Callao, where we were joined by the other neutral vessels, two 
of which had been struck by shot from the batteries. 

The O'Higgins and the Lautaro, favored by the fog, had reached 

=* While speaking this ship, five of my mei:i jumped overboard, and were taken up 
by her boat, sent for the purpose. 



VISIT THE VICEROY. 345 

a most advantageous position for cutting out the Spanish vessels, before 
a gun had been fired ; the San Martin was near, and ready to afford 
succor, in case the other ships should be crippled in their spars, or 
otherwise ; and there was, all the time, a fine leading breeze which 
would enable them to bring away any prizes they might make, or to 
retreat themselves, if it should be found necessary. Under so favor- 
able a coincidence oC circumstances, the complete success of the en- 
terprise, by the capture of all the Spanish vessels in port, seemed to 
be inevitable, although it could be done only at the expense of a great 
sacrifice of life, on either side, — a consideration of trifling weight, 
generally, in enterprises of this description. An incessant and tre- 
mendous cannonading had been kept up, for about half an hour, after 
which we heard only an occasional gun, and then a dead silence suc- 
ceeded. It was now evident that the battle had ceased ; but who 
were the victors, or who the vanquished, whether we were to see the 
Spanish fleet brought away by the Chilian, or the latter crippled and 
flying before their enemy, were events of the most interesting and 
exciting character, but of which we were unable to form an opinion, 
owing to the extreme density of the fog. At length, the fog dispers- 
ing, we perceived the Chilian fleet within about a mile of us, unac- 
companied by any prize, and apparently uninjured. They came to 
anchor near the island of San Lorenzo. Such a result, such a failure, 
under so favorable auspices, surprised everybody, and, by inspiring 
the Spaniards with increased confidence, augmented the hazard of a 
second attack. 

While lying at anchor, at about two miles' distance from the Chil- 
ian fleet, a disposition was manifested, by my men, to desert to them. 
If they succeeded, it would be impossible to procure others, and the 
consequence would be ruinous. To avert such a misfortune, recourse 
to the most desperate means must be used, if others failed. I there- 
fore secured the boats, loaded my pistols, and threatened with instant 
death any one who should make the attempt. A rigorous watch, by 
myself and officers, and a conviction on the part of the crew of the 
danger of the undertaking, kept them quiet. Early next morning, I 
proceeded to Callao, and experienced considerable difficulty in obtain- 
ing permission to land, but at length succeeded, and went immediately 
to Lima, where, on my arrival, I lost no time, before waiting on the 



346 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

Viceroy, whom I found surrounded with officers, civil, military, and 
naval, summoned to deliberate on the best course to pursue in the 
existing emergency. 

As he knew my ship was lying near those of the enemy, and pre- 
sumed I might have had intercourse with them, he did not permit me 
to wait many minutes for an audience. But I could give him no 
information which he did not already possess, of the size of the ships, 
and the number of guns. Of the crews, whether their complement 
were full or not, or whether the men were seamen or otherwise, I 
knew nothing. I then stated to his Excellency the mutinous dispo- 
sition of the Beaver's men ; the difficulty I had experienced in pre- 
venting their joining the Chilians; the only mode of preventing it 
being that of sending them to prison again, or of enabling me to take 
them away, by delaying no longer to furnish me with the promised 
license. The propriety and urgency of the last measure was so 
obvious, that, no longer regarding the remonstrances of the Lima 
ship-owners, he directed the Secretary immediately to make out a 
license for the Beaver, to proceed to Pisco, Guanchaca, and Pacas- 
mayo. This was sent to me next day at Callao, whither I returned 
the same day. 

I now applied to the General of the Marine for launches, wherewith 
to get my cables and anchors, (which had been slipped,) and take 
them to the ship ; but he refused, from the apprehension that they 
might be taken from me by the enemy. I had, therefore, no other 
resource left, than that of going with the ship to the anchors. With 
this view, we got under way on the 2d of March, and beat up to 
where our anchors lay, which having recovered, we were ordered to 
move down again, as all the neutral vessels had done, in order that 
we might not serve as a shield to the enemy, in case of an attack. 

The intercourse of the neutrals with Callao, was now interdicted 
by the royalists, and those of them who had not taken the precaution 
to supply themselves with water and provisions, were actually in dis- 
tress, and could find but partial relief from their neighbors. Whilst 
the supercargoes and agents of the several neutral ships were suffer- 
ing the greatest embarrassment from their non-communication with 
the shore, the difficulties were greatly augmented by a proclamation 
of the Chilian commander. Lord Cochrane, which was communicated 



BLOCKADE, 



347 



to the masters of all neutral vessels then present, declaring the whole 
coast of Peru, from its southern extremity to Guayaquil, in a state of 
vigorous blockade ; and giving neutrals until the 10th of March to 
settle their affairs, and remove themselves from its influence. 

This measure seemed at first sight to threaten annihilation to the 
prospect presented by the license, of which I had been so long in 
pursuit, and was of so serious a nature, as to require much pondering 
upon the next step I should take. The incompetency of the naval 
force to a legal blockade, even of one eighth part of the coast de- 
clared to be blockaded, the origin of the measure, and the intention, 
being merely an apology for the plunder of neutrals, were circum- 
stances so palpable, as to leave no doubt in the minds of the most un- 
observing. Recollecting that the government of the United States 
had manifested a determined disregard of the paper blockades of Eng- 
land and France, from whence this was imported, in a direct line, by 
his lordship in person, I had no doubt of protection from my govern- 
ment in disregarding this. Besides, to suppose that the Chilian Re- 
public would hazard offending her best friend, by persisting in enforc- 
ing a measure evidently adopted with a view to plunder, by a few 
English adventurers, would be supposing her to act with a degree of 
imbecility inconsistent with her general policy since her attainment 
of independence. 

From these considerations, as well as from not knowing what else 
to do with the ship, I determined to pursue the plan I had marked out 
at first ; and as the port of Callao must be considered now as legally 
blockaded, not to return there, until I had ascertained that the block- 
ade was raised. This decision was in opposition to that of all the 
other neutral agents ; and of the twelve neutral vessels then lying in 
Callao bay, the Beaver was the only one whose destination was not 
defeated, and prospects ruined by this proclamation of blockade. 

Being all prepared to sail on the 8th of March, I went on board the 
O'Higgins frigate, to demand my men, but with no expectation of 
their restoration. Accordingly, when I made known to the Captain 
of that ship, an Englishman, by the name of Foster, the object of 
my visit, he not only peremptorily refused giving them up, but in the 
true insolent style, peculiar to John Bull, expressed a regret that more 
of them had not deserted. As I was going away, he tauntingly held up 



348 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

the proclamation, and bid me beware of the consequences. I replied, 
that I was as well acquainted with my business as he was with his, 
therefore the caution or threat was unnecessary and misplaced. 

As the Lautaro was lying near, I went on board to see Captain 
Guise, with whom I had become acquainted at Valparaiso. I found 
him in his cot, recovering from a slight wound received when 
exchanging shots wiih the castle. The friendly and polite reception 
I experienced from this gentleman formed a striking contrast to that 
from Captain Foster, and presented a remarkable instance of the 
difference of conduct on the same occasion, of officers of the same 
grade ; one of whom had been reared and educated in polished socie- 
ty, and the other among the low and vulgar. Captain Guise express- 
ed regret, that their present want of men was such, that no influence 
he could use with Lord Cochrane would be of any avail. In speak- 
ing of the proclamation of blockade, I did not fail to express my 
opinion, that the government of the United States would support me 
in not considering those ports blockaded before which there was no 
naval force, and that I had determined to act in conformity with that 
opinion, which he seemed to consider a correct one. 

On returning to the Beaver without the men, I perceived a general 
manifestation of dislike, among the crew, to go to sea, with so many 
short of our complement ; but there was no possibility of procuring 
others, and delay would be more likely to change the aspect of affairs 
for the worse than the better. I therefore called all hands aft ; rep- 
resented to them the easy and short voyage we had to perform ; that 
the numbers now on board were an ample complement for any voyage 
on this coast ; that I had considered we had an extra number, origi- 
nally taken, in order to make the greater despatch in lading the ship , 
but that nevertheless, if they would go to work cheerfully and heave 
up the anchor, I would engage to divide among them the wages of 
the five men who had deserted, until I could ship others in their stead. 
This had the desired effect ; they went with alacrity to the windlass, 
hove up the anchor, made sail, and at four P. M. I was once again on 
the broad ocean, in the uncontrolled command of the Beaver. 

More than two years had elapsed since the seizure of the ship at 
Talcahuana ; and, during that time, I had experienced scarcely any 
thing but a continued series of vexations, altercations, and the most 



ARRIVE AT PISCO. • 349 

prolonged and aggravating state of suspense. The freedom from 
thraldom, therefore, which I now experienced, was at first difRcult to 
believe ; and many days passed away before I possessed an entire con- 
sciousness of having regained the power of independent action. We 
stood off to the southwest, braced sharp to the wind until we had 
reached the desired latitude, and then tacked to the eastward. As we 
approached the land, we became enveloped in a thick fog, which 
caused the loss of several hours, while lying to in the hope of its dis- 
persion. At length, it suddenly cleared away, and showed us, that in 
the endeavor to save time, we had infringed the bounds of prudence. 
The ship could not have been better placed, even had it been clear ; 
but we had approached the shore nearer than I supposed, being mid- 
way between Sangallan and the Chincha Islands, with Pisco right 
ahead, where we anchored at four P. M., just four days after our de- 
parture from Callao. 

I immediately went on shore, and was met at the landing by the 
Subdelegate of Marine, Don Vincente Algorti, and a squad of armed 
soldiers. On being satisfied of the friendly character of my mission, 
the soldiers were dismissed, and I was conducted to town by the officer, 
and introduced by him to the Governor, Gonzalez, who, on being satis- 
fied with the legitimacy of my passport, offered me all the aid in his pow- 
er to facilitate my views. As it was late in the evening before I finished 
my interview with the Governor, and the surf was so great that I could 
not return to the ship without getting wet, I accepted the offer of Don 
Vincente to take a bed at his house ; and, as this gentleman had almost 
the exclusive commerce of the place, it gave me the opportunity of 
obtaining the requisite information relative to the object of my voy- 
age. He told me, that at this season of the year, only a small quan- 
tity of brandy and wine were usually procurable ; but he thought it 
probable the quantity I wanted might be obtained, and he would ascer- 
tain the next day. 

In the mean time it was discovered, that a brig had anchored near 
Sangallan, which they suspected to be an enemy ; and were very 
desirous that I should reconnoitre. Accordingly I proceeded to the 
brig, which I found to be the Frederick, of Stonington, on a sealing 
voyage, only four months from the United States. Here I was sur- 
prised to be recognised by the mate, who, seventeen years before, had 
30 



350 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

been navigating these remote seas with me in the Leila Byrd, as sea- 
man. He had pursued the sealing business since, and by his good 
conduct, and great experience, had been advanced to a mate's berth. 
The report I made of this vessel, which at the same time was con- 
firmed by the master, in person, tended to relieve the apprehensions 
of the good people of Pisco. 

On the third day after our arrival, I sent off to the ship several 
launches loaded with brandy ; but so much care and adroitness were 
requisite in taking it on board, and in stowing it afterwards, that, 
although the stowing was done by experienced stevedores, we made 
but slow progress. To hoist a fragile jar, containing twenty gallons, 
up the high sides of a light ship, while rolling in an open roadstead, 
required the attention of several men to guard it from striking, and 
great vigilance in the officer to see this duty properly performed ; yet, 
with all our care, many jars were broken. 

The feebleness of my ship's company, which was particularly man- 
ifested when taking in cargo, the apprehension of desertion, and the 
impossibility of supplying the loss should any one of them desert, 
their knowledge of this, and probable presumption that the indulgen- 
ces they received might be still farther extended, induced them to 
attempt carrying into effect a measure, that would have led to the 
subversion of all discipline, and endangered the safety of the ship 
and cargo. This was an attempt to bring on board, and hold in their 
possession, a jar of brandy. I was not on board at the time ; but Mr. 
Pinkham, seeing the man with it, very judiciously endeavored to per- 
suade him to give it up, promising to serve it out to them in such 
quantities as should be most useful to them. But this they would not 
submit to, and swore they would do as they pleased with their own 
liquor. Perceiving remonstrance to be vain, and aware of the mis- 
chief that would result from its being in their possession, Mr. Pink- 
ham very properly knocked the jar out of the fellow's hands, which 
broke it, and spilled all the brandy. The most abusive language then 
followed from several ; the mutiny became general, and all hands left 
off work. In the evening, one of the shore boats brought me a note 
detailing these transactions, and the continued insubordination of the 
crew. It was too late to go on board that evening ; and I had, conse- 
quently, time to revolve in my mind the most prudent and judicious 



MUTINY ON BOARD. , 351 

mode of proceeding. I was offered a file of soldiers, to take as many 
as I chose on shore, and have them whipped ; but, though this could 
easily be done, it would only tend to increase the difficulty when we 
should be out of the reach of this aid. It was obvious, that, to secure 
any further services from these men, they must be subdued by the 
efforts of myself and officers alone ; and, cost what it might, I deter- 
mined to try the issue, and to convince them, that there could be but 
one master to the Beaver. The task was an arduous and a hazard- 
ous one, but there was no alternative. 

Accordingly, on going on board, and finding my officers ready to 
second me, — all work on board continuing to be suspended, — we 
determined that seizing up the ringleader to the shrouds, and giving 
him a good whipping before the whole crew, would be the readiest 
and best way of settling the difficulty ; but, if the men made the re- 
sistance which was apprehended, the attempt might be attended with 
serious consequences. Having loaded our pistols, and prepared the 
requisite seizings, I called the ringleader, by name, to come aft, 
which he did very readily, and no doubt with the expectation of sup- 
port from his shipmates. I asked him how he dared to speak to the 
officer of the ship in the insolent manner he had done ? He replied 
with equal insolence, that the officer had broken his jar of brandy, 
and he would be damned if he, or any one else, should do any more 
work on board until it was made up to him. I then turned to the 
mates, and desired them to seize him up to the rigging. The crew, 
who had been watching the progress of the business from the fore- 
castle, now began moving aft in a body. I therefore immediately 
took a pistol in each hand, and, meeting them half way, leisurely 
laid a rope across the deck, and threatened with instant death any 
man who should dare to cross it. This had the desired effect. No 
one had the temerity to try me ; and the fellow was whipped until he 
begged for mercy, and promised never to behave amiss again ; and 
indeed he was ever after, while on board, an orderly, good man. 
With my pistols still in hand, I then went forward, and peremptorily 
ordered the men to their duty, on pain of a like punishment to any 
one who refused. I did not allow them time for consultation ; as, 
calling them by name, I ordered them immediately on various parts 
of ship's duty. Not one of them saw fit even to hesitate ; and they 



352 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

were, ever after, as orderly a crew as I could desire. Having now 
passed a week at Pisco, and taken on board six hundred jars of brandy 
and wine, we sailed for Guanchaca, and thus demonstrated, that this 
part of the coast was not in a state of blockade, in the true and legit- 
imate acceptation of that term. 



m 




CHAPTEH XXXni. 



Pisco — Arrival at Guanchaca — Alarm at TruxiUo — Unlading and Eelading— Gal- 
varino — Men detained on Shore — Suspicion of onr good Faith. -^ Proceed to Mala- 
brigo — Lose two Anchors -^ Proceed to Pacasmayo — Finish Loading — SaU for 
CaUao — Touch at Guacho — Hear of the blockade being raised— Arrival at 
CaUao — Sketches of TrusiUo, Guanchaca, Malabrigo, Pacasmayo—* Satisfaction 
given the Viceroy— Discharge the Cargo — Proceed to Pisco-* Lade with Brandy 
— Eeturn to CaUao — Disappearance of the Tolador. 

JIcS^® is situated on a sandy plain, about one 
mile and a half from the sea-shore. It has two 
churches near the Great Square, one of which 
was built by the Jesuits. These indicate a degree 
of prosperity and riches, at the time they were 
built, which does not now exist. In their decays 
ing and dilapidated state, in that of the private 
dwellings, and in the commerce, so meagre com* 
pared with what it might be, there is continued evi- 
dence of the withering effects attendant on the wretch- 
ed policy, under which this people have so long suf- 
fered. The haciendas, or farms, in the vicinity of Pis» 
CO, are very productive ; and their produce, brandy and 
wine, with which Lima, and the whole coast as far as Pan- 
/"^^^ ama, is supplied, meets with a ready sale ; but the heavy 
duties on exports from thence, and on the imports at other places, 
tend greatly to cramp and diminish this commerce. 

As the next port of our destination was little more than five de- 
grees to the northward of Pisco, we had a pleasant and easy sail 
before the wind, and on the third day of our departure, were off the 
town of Guanchaca, which, owing to a dense fog, we had passed, as 
we perceived on its clearing away, by discovering the church on the 
hill to windward of us. We therefore had to pass the day in tacking 
30* 




351 SEVEJ1TH VoV\ .K. 

oir and on, to gain the anchorage, which was not effected until sun* 
»ct. 

In the mean lime, the inhabitants of Truxillo and Guanchaca, who 
had hcnrd of the blockade of Cnllno, and had no information of our 
coming, supposed us to be one of the Chilian squadron, and were 
thrown into the greatest consternation. All their military force was 
on ihc alert all day ; and although after coming to anchor I sent (by 
a couple of Indians) some lotters from Lima, to merchants of Trux- 
illo, tending to confirm my report of who we were, these were not 
suflicicnt to quirt their alarms. They were on the watch all night, 
and Truxillo remained in a stale of confusion, until I went on shore 
(the next morning) and exhibited to the Governor the license of the 
Viceroy. 

Immediately on landing, I was provided with a horse, and conduct- 
ed to Truxillo, by a party of cavalry. Being escorted to the Gover- 
nor's house, I found him and the Subdclcgale of Marine wailing my 
arrival. Neither of these gentlemen appeared entirely to have re- 
covered from the preceding night's alarm. The Governor, however, 
did give intimation of returning spirits, in my presence, by a severe 
reprimand to a respectable looking man, who happened to come in on 
hiisliu'ss. A<lvorting to the confusion that reigned in the toWD, the 
ptf ((ling night, he angrily ol>scr>cd to him, that it had appeared as 
if every man would bo governor, but he would let them know there 
was hut ono. Owing to the mail from Lima having been stopped by 
the frrnhots which rendered the rivers impassable, wc were the bear- 
ers of dates ten dayn later from thence, than they were in poosession 
of, notwitlistanding our voyage first to I*isco ; consequently, as all in- 
formation wan {mrticularly interesting and acceptable at this time, my 
visit was prolonged much beyond the time which is usual on a first 
interview. 

Having finally completed it, my next object was to find the mer- 
' I h«<l a letter of intrixhiction, and with whom I experl- 
. my businewi. I found him to Ix?, as he had been repre- 

sented to me, a modest, unassuming man, and with much dccisioo of 
rhararlor. Me at once madr me a pro|»o«il for my brandy and wine^ 
whuh appeared to Ixj verj* fair, olTenng to pay me in wheat aod rice, 
at the curreot price. This i promised to take into consideratioo, and 



PUOCEEfiiNGS AT TRUXILLO. S55 

to give an answet next morning. I then sought the family of Lynch, 
to whom I had a letter of introduction, from one of their connections 
in Lima. This is a family of Irish descent, who inherited a very 
large landed estate in this vicinity. I accepted their invitation to take 
a bed at their house, and found them a very amiable, good-natured, 
and pious family of fanatics, their minds entirely subservient to the 
direction of crafty priests, and their bodies actually suffering from 
the rigid observance of prescribed fasts. One of them, who had 
been a merchant, I consulted on the proposal made for my cargo^ 
which he considered to be liberal, and advised my accepting it, which 
1 did accordingly. As the proceeds of my cargo from Pisco would 
not be sufficient to lade more than half the ship with wheat and rice^ 
1 proposed taking freight, and soon had offered, at a high rate, moro 
than sufficient to complete the lading of the ship* 

Having disposed of the cargo, contracted for another, and engaged 
a person to provide the launches, the launchmen, and the tascaros, or 
men who take the cargo on their shoulders, and transport it from the 
launches to the beach, I returned to the ship the third day after leav- 
ing her, and immediately set about discharging and receiving cargo 
at the Same time. We soon perceived that the roadstead of Guan- 
chaca was a most uncomfortable place for a ship to lade. The dis- 
tance at which it was necessary to anchor the ship from the landing, 
the slow process of loading and unloading the launches through the 
surf, and the three days, at every full and change of the moon, when 
the surf was so much increased as to cut off all communication be- 
tween the ship and the shore, combined to call into requisition our 
whole stock of patience. We had been industriously engaged about 
ten days, had delivered about half our cargo, and received on board 
upwards of a thousand bags of wheat, when the cable parted, and the 
current setting to leeward, carried us some way from the anchorage, 
before we perceived ourselves drifting. We had, therefore, no other 
resource, than to make Sail, and stand out to sea so far^ as to secure 
a prospect of reaching our anchorage early in the morning. What 
rendered this business particularly onerous, was the circumstance, 
that, at the time of parting the cable, Mr. Pinkham, and half the 
crew, were ashore on duty. 

As we approached the land, next morning, we saw a vessel mak* 



8BVKNTH VOYAGB. 

ing directly for us ; and which, on comiug near, proved to be the 
Ciiilian brig of wnr Gulvarino. It was now evident, that I should 
•OOD know if he wuuld act in conformity with the tenor of the pro- 
clamation of blockade. Accordingly, when within liail, he inquired, 
"Vi'iiat ship? Answer; The Beaver. Question; What are you 
doing here, sir ? Answer; Loading with wheal. 0,you are, I am 
glad to hear it ; you are a goo<l prize. Answer ; Stop until I am 
fully loaded, and I shall then be a better prize. He then sent his boat, 
and re(jue8icd ine to come on board with my pa|x.T9, which 1 conv 
plied with, and was treated with grr-at civility by Captain Sprv', with 
whom I had become acquainted at Valparaiso. After half an hour^t 
conversation, he became convinced that he had better not molest me ; 
he thtH.'forc, after endorsing my n'gister, aiid returning me on board 
the Heuver, pursued his course, and left me at liberty to pursue mine. 
Having thus fairly tested llie degree of molestation to be appre- 
hended from the Chilian cruisers, my confidence in the success of 
my voyage was greatly increased. But the circumstance that had in- 
spired me with conlidcnce hud entirely annihilated that of the freighters. 
Having wailed a considerable time, aHer coming to anchor, for the 
return of the otficer and men who had l)een left ashore, without see- 
ing any thing of ihein, I was entirely at a loss how to account for it. 
But, as it did not occur to me that they could suspect mo of treachery, 
1 Imd no a|)|>t( hcnsion for my men, and therefore despatched the sec- 
ond mule and four hands to Ujiccrtain what had become of the first. 
These, on laudaig, were immediately taken into custody of the mili- 
t -V ' imlory to Niing interrogated ; and thus was I left, in an open 
I , witliKUt an ollicer, and with only six men, until the next 

day, wht^n they were permitted to return. Tlio answer I gave to 
Captain Spry, and which they ascertained by interrogating the sailors, 
was construed into an intent of giving the cargo to the enemy, when 
t should b*- ei)mplete«l ; and was such confirmation of their 

b_. , /.. .>. that those who l»ad engaged to freight now declined doing 
•o ; and those who liad fraight on board were desirous of taking iu 
As this was out of ' -> it was evident no more freight 

could be obUin«d ) to proceed to Malabrigo, and 

take on board wluit I knew to bo there ready, oo sbip^s account, and 
SDy frtifte Chat ought otTvr. 



RETURN TO Cj\LLAO. S57 

On anchoring at Malabrigo, in the vicinity of which is the town of 
San Pedro, I had soon a number of applications to freight, and con- 
tracted for a considerable quantity, to be taken on board at Pacasma- 
yo. The first freighters having gradually recovered their senses, 
came to us in the hope of persuading us to return, and fulfil the en- 
gagement which they had broken. But their application was too late, 
and they were greatly disappointed, when they discovered that hav- 
ing contracted for other freight, sufficient to fill up the ship, it was 
not in my power to take theirs. 

Having broken the stream anchor at Guanchaca, and lost a bower 
and kedge at Malabrigo, our only dependence now for completing our 
landing at Pacasmayo, was on the only remaining bower anchor. 
This, however, served us ; and on the 19th of May, having a cargo 
on board exceeding in weight thirteen thousand quintals, which 
brought the ship's chainwales almost even with the water, we sailed 
for Callao. As I had been able to obtain no information from Callao 
since I left it, I was very anxious to know the state of affairs before 
venturing too near. I therefore looked in to Guacho, where, perceiv- 
ing a brig at anchor, with English colors displayed, I sent the boat to 
obtain information, while the ship was lying to. On returning, I was 
rejoiced to learn, that the Chilian squadron had left the bay of Callao 
nearly a month since, and that there was no impediment to entering 
there. This brig (the Columbia) had been boarded a few days before 
by the Macedonian frigate. Captain Downes, who inquired if he had 
seen the Beaver. Having run along shore to the northward, while 
the Beaver was standing out to sea, to the south westward, we missed 
seeing each other, to my great regret, as I had no doubt there were 
letters on board from my family, and had been anticipating their 
receipt, v/ith all those feelings of hope and anxiety, so easily con- 
ceived by those who love their homes, and who have had no tidings 
for so long a period. 

We now made sail on the Beaver, and, at the expiration of two 
days, were, early in the morning of the 9th of June, at the entrance 
of the bay of Callao, with light airs off shore. At ten o'clock, we 
perceived a large and a small vessel coming out of the bay, under a 
crowd of sail, and steering directly for us. On coming up, they 
proved to be the Esmeralda frigate and Pezuela brig of war, sent 



358 hhVh.MM VOVAI.fc. 

out to ««cortnin who wo were. Satisfied on this point, we returned 
into |K)rt togcthcT* and came to anchor nearly ul the same time. 

Of the places i had visited, Guanchacu is nothing else than a coU 
Icrtion of H-ii^wains or Indian huts, built of mud, mats, and bamboo ; 
and of n description that would Ixi untenantable in a country subject to 
an ordinary course of rainy weather. In the season for taking the 
sea'bnths it is the resort of the people of Truxillo, os Callao is for 
the {)roplc of Lima, at the same seaHon. It contains about five hun- 
dred inhabitants, all Indians, excepting the Curate, who is of Euro- 
pean descent, and who appeors to possess the address of keeping 
tlicm not less in the fear of himself than in the fear of God. 

Tru.xillo is two leagues 8oulhwei»t from this village, and on the 
road to it we passed the ruins of a very large Indian city, which was 
the summer resort, or Bain*, of the celebrated chief Atahualpa. 
From the niins of this ancient city, a great amount of gold has, with- 
in a few years, been dug ; and also a great number of earthen ves- 
sels, of various forms, culled by the Spaniards guaqueros^and which 
afford evitlcnce of a degree of |)crfection in the manufacture of pot- 
tcn.', which the present race of Indians do not possess. The land 
immediately in the vicinity of the sea, presents a most sterile and for- 
bidding appranmce ; scarce a tree, a hhrub, or any verdure to be 
•oen ; but a dw leagues in the interior tlierc is the most luxiiriaul 
vegrlntion. 

Truxillo IS a very anejent rity, ij.iviiig i>«rn |,.'m<i<Mi tiy tiiat reic- 
bmtrd devastator of the Indian race, Tizjirn), in the year 1535. It is 
situated in the valley of Chimo, on a very sandy soil, is surrounded 
by a hrick wall, is rr*gularly built, (the streets intersecting each oilier 
at ri^ht angles,) and is, in fact. Limn in miniature. The inhabitants 
of this city con«ii»t of Spanianls, Indians, and the various gnulcs and 
shades pcculior to a population of Kumpean and Indian, and amount 
togfMher to about \vi\ thousand. It formerly enjoyed a lucrative com- 
merce with Porio H«llo and (' <• . by the way of Santa Fo and 
Quito; antltothiH, It was indis elevation and consequence, 
as )t is to the loss of it, for its present poor, dull and gloomy stat' . 

'^ 'f>M in its I ' ■ ■ ; ductivc in 

. and su^' given to 

'riciilture ; hut while tbo cultivator has no other prospect before 



RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES AT TRUXILLO. 359 

him, than that of seeing his produce rot on his hands, he will nat- 
urally be cautious to cultivate no more than is sufficient for his own 
consumption. Not less productive might the estates be, which are 
situated in the mountains, for rearing cattle and sheep, if there existed 
any encouragement. As an instance, the family of Lynch, already 
mentioned, possess an estate on which are maintained sixty thousand 
sheep, which produce wool of a very tolerable quality, but, owing to 
there being no export for it, much is wasted ; and what is sold pro- 
duces only two dollars the arroba ; so that the estate, which, if com- 
merce was encouraged, would yield a princely revenue, barely suf- 
fices for the maintenance of their family, in a very economical style 
of living. 

If I was struck with the attention given to the affairs of religion at 
Lima, much more was this the case at Truxillo ; for this as much 
surpasses the other in private, as well as public devotional obser- 
vances, as the former appeared to me to exceed every other place I 
had ever before visited. Indeed, the priests may truly be said to live 
in clover at Truxillo ; the whole business of the city is so entirely 
religion, that it may very properly be viewed as a great cloister. It 
often occurs, that many of the class called merchants, and probably 
others, are invisible at the ordinary hours of business ; and on inquiiy 
as to the cause, it appears that they are at their devotions, in which 
they must not be disturbed. Some families are said to spend eight 
hours of the day in prayer. All this show of sanctity would be very 
laudable, if it made them better, or more honest men ; but it had a 
tendency to put me more on my guard. 

Although others would have given me from ten to fifteen per cent, 
more for cargo, and would have sold wheat for as much less, yet I 
preferred contracting with the man to whom I was recommended, for 
a small advantage, rather than with any other of this pious commu- 
nity, for a great one. But all my caution was, unfortunately, of no 
avail. One of these inveterate praying men, who was engaged by 
my correspondent to receive and deliver the cargo, and to supply the 
ship, made such enormous charges, and was guilty of such frauds, 
that I refused to settle his account ; and it was left to arbitration at 
Lima, the result of which I have never known, further than that I 
never received any return of the amount I left wherewith to pay the 
award. 



360 



0EVSNTU VOYAGE. 



Mttlabrigo is, as iho name indicates, a bad shcller, and is important 
only lo llie culuvaloru of the valley of Cliacaina, for the ahipmenl of 
their produce. Pacasmayo is only a collection of a few Indian huu, 
near to a river of that name, and is the place of embarkation of San 
Pedro, which is disUml from it about two leagues, over a very sandy 
road ; some of the hills of which resemble very high snow-drifu. 
San Pedro, excepting its church, and the residences of half a dozen 
European families, is little belter llian a collection of wigwams. 
The curate, as in all such villages, is onmipotent ; and for a poor 
Indian, within the jurisdiction of his curacy, to kill a calf, a hog, or a 
sheep, without sending him a portion, would be considered a sin, re- 
quiring more prompt atonement than that of the transgression of any 
rule of the Decalogue. The inhabitants, with the above exception, 
arc Creoles and Indians. Some families of the former Imve acquired 
fortunes, in defiance of the obstacles presented by the bad policy of the 
government. The jealousy which exists between these and the Eu- 
ropeans, is not less than that which formerly prevailed at St. Domingo, 
between the whites and muialtocs. Hence the Creoles were perceived 
lo be ardent friends of the revolution, and are leas reserved in evinc- 
ing this disposition than any other people on this coast whom I have 
visited. To promote those views, and add to their stock of political 
knowledge, I gave th«m a large file of Chili gazot!. s. ul.;. l, uns a 
roost acceptable present to them. 

Our safe return to Callao, with so lar^o a cargo of wiscai and rice, 
wa» an event no less auspicu»us for the people of Limn, than for our- 
•elvee. Precisely three months had elapsed since our departure from 
Cailao; and, by the successful accomplishment of our voyage, we 
had demonstrated to the Viceroy, tluii he had no cause to apprehend 
the lupply of bread-stulFs being cut off by means of a Chilian block- 
ade ; at the same time, we had inspired a confidence in our good 
faith, which was Iwforc greatly wanting. The earnings of the ship 
during thi« p*-nod rxceode<l twenty thousand dollars, payable imme- 
diately on biKhng the cargo. My reception by the Viceroy was of 
the most naltrnng description. IIi> appeared now, for the first time, 
lo be aware of tlw gnat advantage denvable from neutral commcrxjc; 
compluncnlcd nic on the boldness manifested in disregarding Loni 
Cochmno's proclamation of blockade, and declared hit readiooM 
now to give me a lioeoso to go to any part of the coast I pleaaed. 



SECOND VOYAGE TO PISCO. 3^1 

I had now as many men at work in unlading the ship as eould be 
advantageously employed, as it was important to lose no time before 
being away again. In the mean time, canvassing several plans for 
the next operation, the most eligible appeared to me to be that of in- 
troducing a cargo of brandy into Lima before the renewal of the 
blockade, presuming that immediately after that event, it would rise 
greatly in value. This being determined on, an express was sent off 
to Pisco to buy the brandy, and have it ready for the ship as soon as 
she should arrive. Having accomplished unlading and ballasting the 
ship, we sailed again for Pisco, on the 25th of June, and arrived there 
on the 1st day of July. Here we found everything in readiness for 
lading the ship in as short a time as possible ; and having taken on 
board four thousand jars of brandy, and a deck-load of wheat, we 
sailed from Pisco on the evening of the 30th of July, and on the 
1st of August again entered, unmolested, the port of Callao. 

The Captain of the port, on making his accustomed visit on our 
arrival, desired me to go on shore until permission was obtained first 
from Lima. As this seemed to me a regulation for the foreigners, which 
the Viceroy could not intend to apply to those who were engaged 
coastwise, I told him I should not comply with it. He then said he 
should put me under arrest, if I came on shore before obtaining 
the requisite permission. Accordingly, as soon as I had breakfasted, 
the boat was manned, and we rowed to the landing guarded by the sen- 
try, who called out to us to keep off; but, simultaneously with the 
order, I had landed and sent my boat away. The sentry then 
arrested and conducted me within the walls of the castle. It was 
soon rumored, that the Captain of the Beaver was in the castle of 
Callao, and several officers of the navy came to see me, kindly prom- 
ising to obtain leave for me to go on board m};- ship ; and inviting me 
to go and dine with them ; but I declined leaving the castle until an 
order should come for my release, from the Viceroy. This order 
was given as soon as my arrest was known to him, and I was re- 
leased, after having passed nearly the whole day in the castle. The 
effect was what I intended and expected it would be, — a general 
order for all masters of foreign vessels, sailing coastwise, with the 
Viceroy's license, to be permitted to go on shore, and if desired, to 
proceed to Lima, without waiting for a special permission. 
30 



Wm SITXlfTH TOTACC. 

A circumstancR which occurred on this voyage, demoDStrntes the 
extreme credulity of this people, not Ichs than iht idcuB they enter- 
tain of our inomlity and humanity. A Spanish hrig, called the Vol- 
ador, and owned in Lima, had txcn loading at Pisco with brandy and 
wheat, at the same time with the Beaver. This brig Irnving accom- 
plished her lading, and having several passengers on board, sailed 
for Callao, about four hours before us. At sunset of the day 
of departure, we perceived that we were coming up fast with her, 
and supposed we passed her io the night. The following night we 
anchored at Callao, and the ne.\t day were momentarily expecting 
the arrival of the Volador, as eight or ten hours, at the most, ought 
to bo the only difrcrcnce in our passages ; but she did not arrive that 
day. Another, and yet another day pa.^sed, and no appearance of 
the Volador. The owner, and those v*ho had friends on board, bad 
now become very ju.slly alarmed, and ray replies to their earnest 
inquiries, as to when wc last saw her, or what I supposed could 
have become of her, had no tendency to lessen them. Her disap* 
pearance was enveloped in a myster\-, which has never been un- 
nvelled. There was not known, or believed to be, any cruiser near, 
by which she might have been captured ; the weather had been very 
fine, the sea ver>' smooth. Had she foundered ? had she taken fire 
and burnt up ? In either of these events it would he strange, that not 
ooe individual should be saved in so pacific a sea, and still more 
■traDge* that not a boat, a spar, an oar, no trace of any thing belong- 
ing to this vessel, should ever have been discovered ; yet su« h was 
the fact, and to this day, I believe, it lias never been known what 
of her. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



Suspected of sinking the Volador — Crew of the Beaver examined — Sell the Cargo 

— Charter the Ship — Sail for Gnacho — Arrival of the Chilian Fleet — Guacho 
and its manufactures — Sail for La Barranca — Stupid Pilot — Eetum to Guacho — 
Sail for Samanco Bay — Observations thereon — Bad Calculation of the Charterer 

— Commandante and his Daughters — Arrival at Pacasmayo — Sail for ChiU — 
Boarded by the San Martin — Arrival at Valparaiso. 



'Jf^lBM' arriving at Callao from Pisco, having 
no immediate business at Lima, I remained on 
board ship a fortnight, while the cargo was dis- 
charging. When this was accomplished I went 
to the city. On walking out soon after being set 
down at my lodgings, I perceived myself to be 
an object of unusual attention ; and heard the 
remarks, " There he goes," — " That's the fel- 
low ; " and saw people pointing at me. Passing by 
the shop of an acquaintance, he expressed surprise at 
my release from the Castle of Callao, if the rumors 
relating to me were true. On asking an explanation, 
he told me the report was current, and generally believed, 
that I had run down the Volador, and drowned the crew and 
passengers ; that I had been incarcerated for it in the castle ; 
and that the people were astonished to see me at liberty and walking 
the streets of Lima. 

It appeared, that a number of circumstances, trifling in themselves, 
had combined to favor this idea, in a populace jealous of strangers, 
and generally very ignorant. Among them, my having remained a 
fortnight at Callao after arriving ; my being arrested by a sentry, and 
conducted to the castle ; my having remained there, as was supposed, 
while actually on board ship ; and the circumstance of their enter- 




tM lEVSMTR TOTAOE. 

taining none loo f^ood opinion of mc to doubt my readiness to destroj 
« vessel and crew, in revenge for the ill treatment I had received io 
the country, were sulTicient materials wherewith to fabricate the story 
which was in circulation in the city. 

It was now obvious, that my personal safety required that some im- 
mediate and efficacious measures should be adopted to undeceive the 
populace ; as I perceived the story to l)c believed, not by the mob 
tlone, but by persons who ought to have known better. I therefore 
waited on the Viceroy fur this purpose, and requested that an investi- 
gation might Ik? made into this business by his order. He had heard 
of such report, and ridiculed it ; nevertheless, he thought my safety 
would be better secured by an inquir}'. Accordingly, three officers 
of the Royal navy wore np|K)inted to examine as many of the Bea- 
ter's crew, touching this business, OS they saw proper. It happened, 
fortunately, that among my seamen was a Spaniard belonging to 
Lima ; and this man's testimony, corroborating that of the others, was 
of great iin|)oriance. They were not long in coming to a favorable 
result, exoncniling me from all blame or participation in the loss; 
and this decision was sent to the Viceroy, who caused it to be gener- 
ally known. After this, no doubt existed in the minds of the respec- 
table part of the community, of my inncx:cnce ; but the unfavorable 
impression was never entirely obliterated with the lower class. 

1 had contemplated landing only one half the cargo at Callao, and 
I ' v\n (h<* coast with the other lialf, which would produce 

• the ship with uheat ; but having ascertained that a 

supply had already been sent there, 1 concluded to give up this plan, 
and ncguciatod with a liousc in I^ima to take the whole cargo, at a 
profit of alN)ut ten thotu<and dollars. It had bc<Mi obs(*r\ed, that, lat- 
terlyi much bnindy had been deliverrd from the pum(>s ; and wo 
were prepared to find great breakage, although there had been no 
rough wrnthrr to pnxiuce it. Hut it was evident, that the weight wns 
too great, and tlrnt, by it, many of the lower jars hud been cnished. 
On completing the unladmg, \%c found that one hundred and fi Ay jars 
had been broken; notwithstanding which, theopemlion proved to be 
a very pr- no. 

It was I lit, from the accounts from Valparaiso, that much 

time would ool elapse before the reappearance of the Chilian fleet. 



A NEW ENGAGEMENT. 365 

and the renewal of the blockade. The great importance of being 
away, therefore, before this event, was obvious; and any delay, in 
deciding what course to pursue, might be attended with increased 
loss of time, if nothing worse. Although the exposed situation in 
which a ship lies at Guanchaca and Pacasmayo, and the tedious pro- 
cess of conveying the cargo through the surf to the launches, on the 
shoulders of men, cause the lading of a ship at these places to be a 
very laborious and tedious undertaking, yet the freight to be earned 
was in due proportion to this trouble ; and perceiving nothing that 
presented so fair a prospect, I determined on pursuing it, and imme- 
diately despatched an express to those places, to have a cargo pre- 
pared against my arrival there. 

This measure had scarcely been taken, when I had a proposal for 
the charter of the ship, which offered advantages so much greater 
than the other, that I immediately closed with it, and sent off a second 
express to countermand the first order. This charter stipulated for 
the ship to proceed to three ports to leeward, and there lade with the 
produce of the country, and proceed with it to Valparaiso ; there 
deliver it, and relade with wheat for Callao. For the performance of 
this service, I was to receive forty thousand dollars, limited to be per- 
formed in four months ; and if, from any cause on the part of the 
charterer, that time was exceeded, he was to pay at the rate of six 
thousand dollars per month. In addition to the certainty, which this 
contract presented, was the great additional security resulting from 
its being for English account ; as the commanders and officers of the 
Chilian fleet were almost exclusively English, and they had given the 
most unequivocal evidence of a disposition to view, with indulgence, 
the same transaction under their native flag, which was denounced as 
confiscation under the American. 

Having agreed with the charterer, that the ship should be despatch- 
ed without delay, it being even more for his interest than mine that 
no time should be lost, and the blockade being momentarily expected, 
my impatience became so great, when the month of September was 
approaching its close, that it was agreed I should proceed to Guacho, 
and there wait for him to join the ship. Accordingly, late in the 
afternoon of the 28th of September, we sailed from Callao ; and, at 
sunset, as we were passing the Pescadores, on the north side of the 
31* 



Wo 8EVENTR TOTACB. 

bay, we saw the Isabella, Lord Cochrnne's ship, entering near San 
Lorenzo, on the south side. This was, indeed, a fortunate escape ; 
as a delay of only an hour would have closed the door upon us. The 
Pallas, an Amcriran brig, which sailed with us, bound to windward, 
was detained, and sent to Valparaiso. 

The day aHcr leaving Callao, we anchored at Ouacho, and in the 
evening, a sqund of soldiers were sent to the beach, intended for the 
two-fold advantage of protecting the ship, and preventing smuggling ; 
but they had no boat to bring them on board, and kept blowing horns 
and hallooing for ours, till they were satisfied we should not send for 
them, and they then marched back again to their quarters. Wo 
found, on our arrival, a quantity of sugar ready to be taken on board ; 
but with the bad management, evinced from the day of the contract, 
no license had been provided for embarking it, and another week 
was lost before it was received from Lima. As soon as the license 
was received, the sugar was embarked, and we sailed for La Bar- 
ranca, to take on board a quantity which was there ready for delivery. 

Guacho is a small village, principally of Indians, whose employ- 
ment is almost exclusively making straw hats and cigar-cases ; in 
which manufacture they have arrived at a degree of skill, so much 
surpassing all others, that their cigar-cases, of the finest quality, are 
often sold for a doubloon, and their hats arc proportionally prised. 
As La Barranca is an obscure place, where, probably, the American 
flag had never Iwforo been displayed, that no time might be lost, I, 
for the first time since navigating the ctwst, took a pilot ; but 1 had 
better been without him, as, in the true bungling style of his countrr- 
mcn, he brought the ship to, at least a mile further off than was 
requisite. Having dismissed him, and taken soundings of the harbor, 
we perceived also, by the breaking of our bower anchor, on heaving 
up, that he had anchored us on foul ground. We ran in to about 
half a mile from the beach, whence our cargo was to be taken, and 
anchored again in a snug harbor, which is at an equal distance from 
La Barranca and Supn. am! m rvi-i as tlm n<.rt ,,( fnikir.-winn for 



The ^ th.ii place, occiip.cd ftln);*; a week, at 

which I d a letter from Uie chancrcr, dated at 

Lima, without statmg when he should leave there on his way to join 



ANCHOR NEAR THE RIVER HUAMBACHO. 367 

the ship, I became very impatient ; and with a view of saving time^ 
by lessening the distance between us, returtied again to Guacho, and 
informed him of this movement by an express. Day after day passed 
away, while we were lying idle at this place. At length, on the 25th 
of October, he arrived in a small vessel, laden with cocoa, indigo, 
his baggage, &.c. The policy of such solicitude and such impatience^ 
on my part, at our slow progress, while the earnings of the ship were 
so great, may not be perceived ; but the inference was clear, that the 
person who managed his own affairs so badly, could not so well be 
confided in for the fulfilment of his engagements to others ; and 
hence my dissatisfaction was manifested, occasionally, in terms less 
mild and conciliating than was becoming. The arrival of the Eng- 
lish brig Catalina, destined to lade with sugar for Valparaiso, and the 
information received by her, that the English ship Inspector had gone 
to Canete for a like purpose, and for the same destination, tended 
greatly to diminish the prospect of advantage, which was promised at 
the early stage of the enterprise. 

The cargo of the little vessel having been taken on board the 
Beaver, with all possible despatch, we sailed, on the evening of the 
same day, for Samanco Bay. The second day after leaving Guacho, 
we anchored in a bay in latitude 9® 17', which I supposed to be 
Samancho Bay, but, as we could discover nothing of the rivet 
Huambacho, I presumed that we were mistaken. 1 therefore de- 
spatched a boat, early in the morning, to the northern extremity of 
this bay, to look for the river in question. At noon the boat returned, 
and the officer reported, that the bay and river were about five miles 
to the north of us. Immediately, therefore, we weighed anchor, and, 
proceeding to this bay, came to anchor again in a snug cove near the 
river Huambacho. 

The ship was no sooner anchored, than several horsemen made 
their appearance on the beach. The charterer went immediately to 
them, and ascertained that they were the persons charged with the 
delivery of the cotton which was to be taken on board, and which, 
instead of being already prepared for us, it appeared would not be 
ready for several weeks. If there had been no prospect of compe- 
tition at Valparaiso, the expense of the ship alone ought to have dis- 
couraged the idea of waiting ; and the two circumstances combined, 



968 SKVKNTM VOYAGF- 

fihould Imvc left no li'sii.uion m tno urciMion to ifavc tljc cotion and 
jtursiie the voya^«i ; but a strungc infatuation seemed to blind tho 
• harlcrcr to the ruinous consequences of delay. For eight hundred 
quintals of cotton, value five thousand and six hundred dollars, the 
ship was detained a fortnight, at a certain expense of three thousand 
dollars, and the ditfcronce in the value of the sugar at Valparaiso, if 
tho other vessel should arrive there before us, would probably not be 
1* ^s than thirty thousand dollars ; but with obstinacy and stupidity it 
was in vain to contend, and, in the annihilation of any prospect of ad- 
vantage on my own adventure, I had only to Ix; resigned. At length, 
after the expiration of a fortnight, the cotton had been taken oo 
l>oard, and we were on our way to Pacasmayo, the la«t port of our 
destination on this coast. 

The advantages, which Samanco Bay would aflord to a hostile 
squadron in these seas are great ; until forces could be collected from 
a distance, they might lie here with all the security, that they would 
have in their own harbors. The facilities, which the river Huam- 
Imcho offers for wooding and watering are great, as the boats can 
enter and lade w ithout any diHiculty. The town of Nepina being six 
leogues distant, it mij^hl he difficult to procure cattle and domestic 
oniinals, but the buy abounds with fish, fowl, and seal. The latitude 
of this bay is 9® 12'. Immediately to the southward of it is a doe 
hay, where wn first anchored ; and next, northward, is the very 
spacious bay of Ferrol, affording a harbor equally safe, and the pros- 
l>ect of supplies from an Indian village on its northern shore. 

As the lU'aver wos «!oubtlcia the f\n{ foreign ship that ever had a 
royal liccnjw? for troding coastwise, as she was a remarkably fine 
ship, had tieautiful accommodations, and was always kept in the neat- 
est order, her fame along the coast was very great. And, at all these 
small places, she wan throngtMl with visitors, men, women, and chil- 
irr^n, who came from many miU»s distant to sec the ship, and who 
ulways expressed themselves delighted with (what they considered) 
the beauty of tho cabin and iu furniture, the whiteness of the deck, 
rind the attention to elrnnliness in every part. The Commnndante 
i»f I^ Barranca and he* ihrr<' xcry pretty daughters, from eighteen to 
twenty-four years old, happened to bo oo board, one day, at our din- 
ner hour, and I invited them to sit down with us. Their awkward 



ARRIVE AT PACASMAYO. 369 

mode of handling the table utensils was evidence that, although they 
were people of the first respectability, they were accustomed to live 
in very primitive style, being evidently entirely unaccustomed to the 
refinements of such superfluous articles as plates, knives and forks. 
They endeavored, however, to do as we did ; the father and one of the 
daughters succeeded tolerably well, but the other two girls seemed to 
consider a plate, knife, and fork, for each, to be needless. They 
therefore placed a plate between them, and, one of them taking the 
knife and the other the fork, they endeavored, the one to cut, while 
the other held the meat with the fork. But this mode of proceeding 
did not succeed ; the beef was too hard, or the knife was too dull, or 
there was a want of adroitness, and they were finally compelled to 
accept the aid of their next neighbor, which they did with great com- 
placency, — being all the time in high glee at this novel mode of tak- 
ing their food. The Commandante was very desirous of returning 
our civility by giving us a dinner at his house, but the duties of the 
ship would not allow our absence for a day, and we declined the 
honor, although the young ladies earnestly seconded the invitation. 
They left us, as did all our visitors, with manifestations of pleasure 
and gratification. 

Arriving at Pacasmayo, I was very agreeably disappointed in find- 
ing all the cargo at the shore, ready to be taken on board, and a fair 
prospect of meeting with no detention at this disagreeable anchorage. 
With great exertions, the last of the cargo was received on board, at 
the expiration of a week from the time of our arrival, and on Sunday, 
the 21st of November, we sailed for Valparaiso. Thus, on the day 
of departure from the Peruvian coast, were expended nearly three 
months of the four, for which the ship was chartered. But there was 
a satisfaction in being under way, and in the consciousness that the 
business must progress, which I had not experienced since entering 
into the contract. 

While pursuing our voyage to Valparaiso, and in the latitude of 
22'^ and longitude 91® west, we fell in with the Chilian ship of war 
San Martin, of sixty-four guns, bearing Admiral Blanco's flag. As 
he approached, he fired to bring us to. His boat with a lieutenant 
then boarded us, and requested me to go on board with my papers. 
This I declined, and sent them by Mr. Pinkham, with my compli- 



SCVBlfTH VOTAUE. 



ii.nn>\ sayinp, thai I never left my ship at »ca 
ii,. l...:ii s.,on relumed, bringing Mr. Pink- 
bam, and a roqucni ilmt ihe charterer would go on board and produce 
iImj rtHjuircd proof of ihe property being as slated. This he did lo 
the iiatwfoction of the Admiral, who, he said, made no hesitation in 
declaring, that if the ship had been laden for any other than English 
account, ho iihould liave sent her in for adjudication. To this cir- 
cumstancc, therefore, we are indebted for being allowed to pass wiih- 
otit molcatation. Pawing in sight of the islands Ma.safucra and Juan 
Fcmaiidcr., wo arrived in safely al Valparaiso, afler a remarkably 
pleaaant passage of twenty-five days. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



Competition at Valparaiso — Purchase the Ship Ocean— Sail for Lima — Arriral — 
Completion of the Charter — Drottitigen and Ocean saU for Guayaquil — Zephyr 
for Pacasmayo — Beaver for Guayaquil — Sketch of Lima — Arrival at Payta — 
Observations — Arrival at Guayaquil— Controversy with the Governor — Lade the 
Ships — Sail for Callao — Arrival thei-e — Governor of Guayaquil superseded — 
Sketch of Guayaquil. 



Jj^^ great loss which I anticipated from our tardy 
progress in lading the ship, was unfortunately but 
too surely experienced. The day after we had an- 
chored, the Catalina, which we had left loading at 
Guacho, arrived, and, before we had begun to un- 
lade, the Inspector also arrived, with a full cargo 
of sugar. The arrival of three cargoes of sugar at 
the same time, had an immediate tendency to depress 
the market ; and the cargo of the Beaver, which, but for 
those two arrivals, would have brought from ten dollars 
and a half to eleven dollars per arroia, was with diffi- 
culty sold for seven dollars seventy-five cents ; making a 
difference of from twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars to 
the charterer, and five or six thousand on my private adven- 
ture. 

As I had received no account of the consignment per the Livonia, 
although twelve months had elapsed, I lost no time in calling on the 
house for an explanation ; and had sufficient evidence, that no 
account would ever have been rendered, if I had not demanded it in 
person. The notoriety of the embarrassed situation of their affairs, 
led me to be very apprehensive of difficulty in getting their property 
out of their hands. There was evidently no other chance of success 
than to take wheat and other produce of the country, which they had 




:ft'* SEVEJCTn VOYAGE. 

itt Store. To accomplish lliis, it would be necessan' to buy or to 
charter a ship. I therefore purchased the ship Ocean, of three hun* 
drt»d and sixty-five tons burden, and received a cargo of wheat for 
her, from the house. This ship and cargo were one half on my own 
account, and the other on that of a Spaniard at Lima, who had been 
one of the principal froightcrs in tlie Livonia. 

Not doubting that I should l>c able to employ neutral ships advan- 
tageously at Lima, 1 purchased one half of the ship Zephyr, of Pro- 
vidence, of three hundred and sixty tons burden, and chartered the 
Swedish sljip Drottingen, of four hundred tons. The quantity of wheat 
which had already been shipped for the market of Lima, was such as 
to offer no prospect of profit on other shipments, and my object in 
putting any on l)oard these vessels was only to secure an entry. The 
account sales of my adventure by the Livonia, fell far short of my 
expectations ; and indeed, produced one third less than other ship- 
ments to other consignees by the same vessel. This was in part 
accounted for, by the duties being all charged as cash, when one 
half was paid in government paper, which was then at a great dis- 
count. This I caused to be refunded ; and although I had been 
cheated in the weight and otherwise, the adventure yielded a hand- 
some profit. 

Having completed lading the Beaver with wheat, in bulk, and the 
charterer being ready, on the 21st of January-, 1820, we sailed from 
Valparaiso ; and after a pleasant passage of twelve days, anchored 
once more at Callao. The Ocean had arrived some days before, and 
wan unlading. The Zephyr and Drottingen arrived a few days after 
the Ilcaver, and I had now the four ships discharging at the same 
lime. The circumstance of making such a show of business, excited 
no IcM surpriHo at Lima, than it had done at Valparaiso; yet it was 
at the latter place only, where commerce is declared free, that I was 
»<!' Mf'nt interrogatories relative to my business, by 

Ih . , load I)e la Cruz, the tfovcrnor ; a venk* ditferent 

character from the one of iho same name, who wa» so distinguished 
in the w»ri of Peru. 

The tucceMiful accomplishment of my charter to Valparaiso and 
back, combined with the product of my anterior freights, now gave 
mo the control of an amoimt of property which could not fail to 



SKETCH OF LIMA. 373 

justify me in determining to lade for home ; in addition to which, the 
state of the ship evinced but too clearly, that the period had arrived 
when the enterprise ought to be brought to a close ; cables, rigging, 
sails, boats, every thing was so much worn, as to be barely sufficient 
to serve the passage home ; and a renewal of them in this country 
would be attended with great expense. Duty, independently of in- 
clination, pointed out this, as the course which ought to be pursued. 
While, therefore, the ship was discharging, I made a contract for a 
cargo of cocoa, to be delivered on board at Guayaquil, and obtained 
the Viceroy's license for the same ; and was otherwise busily en- 
gaged in the settlement of my business, preparatory to taking a final 
leave of Lima. For the Ocean, I obtained a freight from Guayaquil 
to return to Callao, and despatched her as soon as unloaded. For 
the Zephyr, I procured an advantageous freight from Guanchaca and 
Pacasmayo, and despatched her on the 1st of March. Funds being 
offered me on respondentia sufficient to lade the Drottingen, I con- 
tracted for a cargo deliverable at Guayaquil, on the same terms as 
the Beaver's ; and laded her at Guayaquil entirely on my own ac- 
count, whence she proceeded to Gibraltar. The charterer of the 
Beaver having resigned any further claim on the ship, after com- 
pleting her unlading, (the 19th of February,) she was again at my 
disposal. 

The term, for which my crew had shipped, being now also expired, 
I had to pay them off and ship a new one — a disagreeable job in any 
country, but a very difficult one at this place ; nevertheless, I suc- 
ceeded, principally by re-shipping the old crew. Having employed 
Spaniards to ballast the ship, I could have been off on the 1st of 
March, but for a difficulty at the custom-house. This arose from a 
regulation, that no ship could obtain a clearance, the duties on whose 
inward cargo were unpaid ; a regulation that placed me completely 
at the mercy of the charterer, as no bonds would be taken. It was, 
therefore, the 12th of March, before this arrangement could be made, 
and the clearance obtained, when we bade farewell to our Lima 
acquaintance, and the next day sailed for Guayaquil. 

Nearly two years had now elapsed, since my first arrival at Lima, 
and during that period I had never witnessed a shower of rain, a flash 
of lightning, or a peal of thunder ; but there are very heavy dews, 
32 



374 SEVK.1TH VOYAGE. 

amounting to Scotch mists, for half tlic year, during which lime the 
sun is seldom seen ; the weather, therefore, is gloomy ; the dampness 
•0 great, that every thing susreptihle of it becomes rusty ; and the 
streets become so dirty and shppcry as to make it very unpleasant for 
the pedestrian. There were several shocks of earthquakes, which 
always created alarm, but none that caused any damage while I was 
there. They are observed to be less violent where wells are common. 
The market of Lima is always well supplied with beef, mutton, 
poultn,', and fish, at the seasons peculiar to each ; with vegetables 
and fruit all the year round. In variety and excellence, the fruits 
surpass those of any other country I have ever visited. Peaches, 
apricots, plums, grapes, apples, pears, pines, guavas, bananas, straw* 
berries, and oranges, arc abundant in their seasons ; but that which is 
justly the highest prized, and in my opinion is the most delicious fruit 
in the world, is the chcrri mouicy a description of which has been 
given already by so many travellers, as to make it superfluous here. 

As the Indies of Lima are famed for their passion for flowers, and 
pay liberally for such as are superior, the market is generally well 
supplied ; but on Sundays and holidays there is such a brilliant dis- 
play of rich and beautiful colors, such an infinite variety and form, 
nil in such perfection, and displayed with so much taste, tliat few can 
pass them without paying a voluntary tribute. So many and correct 
descriptions of Lima have l>cen of late years published, as to make 
it unnccessar)- to say any thing on the subject here. I shall there- 
fore make only some desultory- remarks on objects which came im- 
mediately within my obsenation. 

A stmngrr is struck, on passing through the streets of Lima for the 
first time, by the great numlx'r of people in the sacerdotal garb ; 
evincing that the aflairs of the church arc in no degree less engross- 
ing here, than in other Catholic coimtries. Hut a moderate degree 
of exporienre nnd observation is sufljcient to induce the belief, that 
the moral ajid religious advantages which the people derive, bear no 
proportion to the multiplicity of leachert ; on the contrary, the in- 
verse ratio wouhl l>e nearer the correct one. Nor are the remarks 
of Robertson the hixtormn, less applicable to the existing generation, 
tlian to that of which he wrote, wlicn he soys, " Many of the regular 
clergy arc not only destitute of the virtues becoming tbeir profe 



SKETCH OF LIMA. 375 

but regardless of that external decorum and respect for the opinion 
of mankind, which preserve a semblance of worth, where the reality- 
is wanting." I have seen no people, who appeared to be so devoted 
to religious affairs, and none where every rule of the Decalogue is so 
generally disregarded. 

That the ambition and passions of men are not annihilated, or even 
mitigated, by the sanctity and seclusion of the cloister, was proved 
by an instance no less ludicrous than melancholy, while I was at 
Lima. The fraternity of Augustine monks lost their Superior by 
death. In the choice of a successor the brotherhood were divided, 
and so equally, and each party so obstinately bent on not yielding to 
the other, that they at length came to blows ; and in the sanctuary 
where love, peace, and harmony are supposed to dwell, were raging 
such discord and horrid war, that it was only by the aid of a military 
force sent there by the Viceroy, that peace and order were once 
more restored to these turbulent sons of the church. 

The ridiculous pride, which prevents the descendant of Europeans 
from pursuing any of the mechanic arts, has left to a vast body of 
the " well-born," the choice only of the sword or gown, employments 
for which many had neither talents nor inclination. Hence a total 
absence of science and skill in the military, and hence the licentious- 
ness and ignorance of the clergy, of whom the historian before quoted 
observes, that, " notwithstanding many of the members of the clergy 
enjoy the ease and independence which are favorable to the cultiva- 
tion of science, the body of secular clergy has hardly, during two 
centuries and a half, produced one author whose works convey such 
useful information, or possess such a degree of merit, as to be ranked 
among those which attract the attention of enlightened nations." 

Neither the public amusements, nor the private and select society 
of Lima, were equal to my expectations, founded on the consideration 
of its age, population, opulence, and the long state of tranquillity it 
has enjoyed. The theatre is capacious and of tolerably good aspect 
within ; but the performances are bad, and the house, for the most 
part, poorly attended ; the one probably a consequence of the other. 
At the circus, where the bull-fights are exhibited, there is evidence 
given of its continuing to be the favorite amusement of the people, as 
the boxes and seats are invariably crowded ; the most respectable 



378 UV£»TB VOYAGE. 

part of the fcmaio world, however, (to thoir credit,) are generally 
•bwDl. These, with ao occasional procession, a military review, and 
the ride in the posoo, on Sundays and holydays, constitute all the 
public amusomont*. 

The Limcans appear to possess all that dread of being alone, which 
it the peculiarity of an idle people, and ihcrefure never miss meeting 
in the evening at each olhcm' houses, where they have recourse to 
the univcrml custom of cards; in the games of which their children 
arc initiated at a very early age. The ladies of Lima possess no or- 
dinary •liaro of iiersonal attraction ; but, excepting the common 
■ntii of music and daucujg, they arc as uncultivated as their 

:.. j.wricd slavca. Indeed, as regards society, Lima aflbrds none 

to the man of literature, for literature is not cultivated ; none to the 
! ist not be meddled with ; none to enterprising 
I , , r is proscribed ; none to teachers of political 

economy, for political economy is a science totally unknown ; none 
to the prorooteri of industry, for industry is discouraged. In fine, 
those who can make up their minds to live in a slate of passive obe- 
dience and non-resistance to the governing powers, and take care not 
to off ' •' ■ lergy, nmy lead lives as peaceable, easy, and quiet, as 
tboy . < fiiwinly be stupid and worthless. 

On my way to Guayaquil, wc anchored at the little town of Payli ; 

y, ..t»..,. ridcbtcd for some fame to the circumstance of its having been 

Lord AtuK>n ; and latterly by that accomplished buccanier, 

1 ' . To view this miserable looking little town» and the 

:., , x.rcmo poverty of the inhabitants, one would suppoee, 

that UrilUk magnamimilff would not only have spared il, but that, in 

. British generosity would 
I I • *<» however, the houses of 

the unfortunate inhabitants were stripped of every thing, not excepting 
articles even as were of no use to tho mvagcrs. The former 
\ on record, as an evidence of British glory^ the latter is 

lined to impcnahable renown, as fonning an enviable epoch in the 
Chilian annals. 

Pursuing our destination, wo arrived and came to anchor, on the 
33d uwMant, near tho town of Puna, at tltc north end of the Island of 
that name. Hero a pilot came on board to take the ship to Guaya- 



ARRIVAL AT GUAYAQUIL. 37? 

quil, for which we had a leading breeze. When abreast of the fort 
we were hailed, and ordered to come to anchor, and send a boat 
ashore with the passport. The boat having been already prepared, 
was immediately on her way, and the pilot was extremely anxious to 
obey the summons of coming to anchor ; but having a leading breeze, 
I would not consent to it. He then placed himself so as to have the 
mainmast as a shield against the expected shot ; none, however, was 
fired at us, and we anchored off the town of Guayaquil on the evening 
of the 25th of March. 

I had the mortification to find the Ocean under seizure, on the pre- 
text of irregularity of papers ; and the Drottingen lying idle, in con- 
sequence of a prohibition to lade till the agent would engage to pay 
an additional export duty, exacted by the Governor. Under such 
circumstances, my first interview with the Governor was not of a 
description to prepossess either in favor of the other. I presented 
him my license from the Viceroy, which he admitted to be correct, 
and said that we might begin to lade as soon as we pleased. I then 
explained to him why the Ocean's documents were imperfect ; and 
observed, she was navigating conformably to the laws of the United 
States, and would be protected by any of our vessels of war ; nor 
could I see how he could be justified in detaining a vessel, whose 
papers were so satisfactory to the Viceroy, as to induce him to grant 
her the requisite license to load. But it was useless and unavailing 
to reason with a man, in whose detestation of foreigners and heretics 
all our embarrassments were founded, and on his refusal to permit 
the ship to lade or to go away in ballast, I requested him to make a 
prize of her, and to treat the captain and crew as prisoners of war. 
At this his wrath was kindled, and in an angry and vehement tone 
and manner, he told me, that he had had much difficulty to prevent 
the populace taking possession of the ship as insurgent property, and 
likewise, from putting me to death for having run down the Volador. 
In a tone and manner somewhat contemptuous, I asked him how it 
was possible, that a man who was considered worthy of so respect- 
able a command as that of Governor of Guayaquil, could repeat so 
ridiculous a story, and abruptly left him. 

It was now evident, that no more time should be lost in resisting 
the Governor's exaction, but that we must pay it, lade the ships as 
32* 



f99 ItVRNTH VOYAGE. 

r««t as potiible, and rciiim npinn to l-,irnQ, for redrew. In the mean 

!imr, I wrote lo Lima by ih*,- mail, complaining of ihe conduct of ihe 

(;nr«mor, and made known my detcrminulion lo return there, ia 

onlor that such Blcpii miglit bo taken before my arrival, aa should 

cauae iho leant posaiblo detention. With theac views, the lading of 

both thipn »)cinf< accomplwhcd at the mime time, we dropjKjd down to 

Puna on the I8th of April, sailed together on the tiOih, and parted 

company on the following night, — the Drottingen bound lo Gibral- 

:ivcr to Callno. Arriving nt Callao on the 16ih of May, we 

'.: wo had not been alone in urging complaints against the 

' tovernor of Guayaquil ; but, that the inhabitoDls, in addition, had 

tlonr it so oflbclually, tliat an olTicer had been appointed by the Vice* 

n.y to su)>oniodo him, and hud already sailed in the IVucba frigate 

for thai purpow. By a letter from the master of ihc Ocean, I waa 

' incd, ihal when the Governor a!*certained that we had gone lo 

I, instead of the I'nitod Smies, as he imagined, he was much 

alarmed and vexed, and that he had not suflicienl address to conceal 

ii. 

Gttayaqu'll is situated on a river of the same name, and about filVy 

from the sea. At a narrow paw of the river, about five leagues 

V the town, called Punta de Ticdni, is the fort intended for its 

Mion airainst hostile shipping ; but it is not strong enough to in« 

• e againnt a serious attack. Although this 

wo degrees sJHith of the equator, a«d on low, 

marshy ground, its contiguity to a high choio of inountaiiis renders 

iho climnt' ' I is o(^casionally seen from the town 

the fnme<: umit, towering far above the clouds, 

ripprnrs to belong to some other world. For the greater part of the 

\r--xr •*:' rlimatp is said to be agreeable, but during my visit, (March 

\ ' .) \\w heat was exceedingly oppressive. The mosquitoes, at 

t',r •AIM. nw, werr so nufiwrovm and annoying, as to compel roe to 

t ik'' up ni> ludgu)^ on stu^rt^-, and my sailurv to sloep in the tops of 

tlir- whip. Thr hoiiM*^ are built entirely of wixxl, and in an agreeable 

i»'\lr., ndnptr-l ' Miitr. 'I'l>r upjM:r stories being most air)', and 

itj'Hit frrr fn.i . 'iiri, apc oc<'upied by the family, while the 

lower alory ia dc«ttoo<l for iho domestics. The churches, convents, 

axv wooden buildings, remarkable neither for uza 



SliEfCii OP GtJAYAQtJlL. 379 

hot beauty. The part of the town fronting on the river makes a 
pretty appearance ; but this, as well as the other parts, are kept so 
intolerably dirty, that nothing but positive training to filthiness saves 
the people from epidemics, and the other deleterious effects of such 
climates. The women of this city are so celebrated for beauty as to be 
termed the 'Circassians of Peru ; whether deservedly so or not I am 
not able to say^ as the heat prevented their walking out in the day 
time, and my hurry of business prevented my engaging in the society 
of the place. The buccaniers, however, who took the town in the 
year 1687, speak in the m.ost exalted terms of the beauty and amia- 
bility of those, who were the great-great-grandmothers of the pres^ 
ent generation ; and it is natural to infer, and desirable to suppose^ 
that the race has not degenerated. 

The importance of this place, in a commercial point of view, is 
greater than that of any other on the coast of Peru, with ihe excep- 
tion of Lima, and surpasses this, even^ in the variety and value of 
native productions. The general average export of cocoa is eighty 
thousand cargas of eighty-one pounds each. Timber of the finest 
quality is abundant and cheap, and ship-building has long been pur- 
sued here on an extensive scale. Cotton, bark, tanned hides, thready 
&Ci are among its articles of export to Europe and to Lima. It 
abounds in every kind of fruit which is peculiar to the tropics ; but 
the pine apples, for size and exquisite flavor, surpass those of any 
other country. The plantains are very superior and abundant, and 
used as a substitute for bread. The inhabitants of this province arCj 
generally, advocates of independence* 



CIIA V'VV. U \ \ \ VI 



Arrival At Callao— R<*pnir the Ship — Sail for Rio Janeiro— Retrospective Rcflee- 
tioiw — Receive a Letter from ll>e Owner* — Remark.* tlieroon — Reply — Arrival ai 
Rio Junoiro — Cu^tom-hnuM! OlTicor — Sail fnmi Rio Janeiro — Happy Ship's Com- 
pany— Arrive at New York — letter to the rrc^ident of the National lD«unux:« 
Cunipatiy — Reception by tliut Ofliccr — Remark of u ^lerchaut on the Voyage. 



» ip»^ <^"r pa.ssapc to Callao, the sliip proved to be so 
no other cause had made it ncces- 



^%(^^fy'\^ leaky, that if 

^J/;jJM.:'''4 ricnt. On c 
y^j^< !»cnd8and up 



> 




^ 



there, this would have been suffi- 
cxamination, it was found that Uie 
►ends and upper works were very open, and re- 
quired re-caulking ; for which purpose there 
would he a necessity of discharging that part of 
the cargo which was betwixt decks. Fortunately 
1 was able to procure a vessel into which I could dis« 
. charg»! this part of the cargo, and thus save the expcoae 

\f<lo^S\ ^^ transporting it to and from the shore. While us 
' * '^^^ many caulkers were employed as could work to ad- 
vnntngf on the ship, 1 was busily engaged in endeavoring 
to obtain from the house which had contracted to deliver 
mo the two cargoc>a onboard, free of all expense, at a 
stipulated. price, the addition which I had been compelled to 
I ( lovrrnor. Thry acknowledged the justness of my claim, 

I l reimbursing me until they had first recovered it from the 

govcmmont. A memorial for that purpose having been presented to 
"' v, was, by him, submitted to the Junta de Arbitrios, who 

j ;..id not come to a decision when the subversion of the 

government, by \\w invading army of Chili, put an end to their func- 
tions. 



V! 






RETROSPECTIVE REFLECTIONS. 381 

At the expiration of ten days after my arrival, the requisite repairs 
were completed, the cargo re-shipped, the water-casks filled, and 
every thing made ready for our departure. Still the house, with 
whom I had contracted for the cargo, refused to conform to the con- 
ditions of the contract by restoring the amount, which had been arbi- 
trarily exacted from me by the Governor of Guayaquil, and which 
should have been on their account. If it was ever recovered from 
the government, those to whom of right it belonged never have re- 
ceived it. This, however, was not an object of sufficient importance 
to detain the ship, even if the prospect of success had been greater 
than appeared, especially as the momentary expectation of the Chilian 
fleet and renewal of the blockade might cause us a long detention. 
On this account, I considered it to be so important not to lose an 
hour, after all things were ready, that, a balance due on my private 
account to the amount of between five and six hundred dollars, not 
being forthcoming at nine o'clock, as promised, I preferred the chance 
of losing my money rather than detaining the ship a moment ; and 
therefore as two bells were sounded, on the evening of the 11th of 
June, we weighed anchor and sailed for E.io Janeiro. 

Thus, after an absence from my country of three years, I was once 
more bending my course homeward, and with a degree of impatience 
and anxiety augmented by the circumstance of having had no tidings 
of my family since leaving them. This occurred from not having 
fallen in with the frigate Macedonian, on board of which ship was a 
packet of letters for me ; but the chaplain, into whose charge they 
were given, died ; they were not left at any port where I might re- 
ceive them, and were handed me in the United States many months 
after my arrival there. The events of these three years may be thus 
briefly stated. I embarked at New York with the most flattering 
prospects ; those prospects were blasted and succeeded by inevitable 
ruin at the first port of entry. Being unable to reconcile myself to 
the tedious process of litigation, in a Spanish tribunal, for the recov- 
ery of the property, I had determined on attempting it by violence, 
and at the moment when everything was ready for the execution of 
the design the wind failed us. In a few hours after being thus com- 
pelled to suspend the attack, I was suddenly seized with fever of such 
violence as to render me delirious, and for nearly a week I was uncon- 



883 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

•cioiis of passing events. A long period of debility succeeded my 
convalescence ; during which I sunircd from the combined causes 
(if not Ixjing able to obtain the requisite nourishing food, and iJio 
vexations incident to being subjected to the survcilianu of a military 
guanl. In this trying state of suspense, anxiety, and incessant aggra- 
vation, I n*maincd seven months, and tljrii, by virtue of an or<i< r 
from the Viceroy of Peru, I went to Lima, where a my of ho{)e b< g:in 
to dawn. At length my ship was restored to me, together with the 
remnant of the cargo. At the expiration of twelve m 
gaining |>08Scssion of the ship, I had employed her so a 
as to have paid all the expenses incident to repairing, re-victuailiog, 
and re-manning her, which amounted to more than the product of 
the riinnant of the cargo returned to me. 1 had shipped on board 
the lioaver for New Vork, a cxirgo of cocoa in bulk, which, it was 
presumable, would nearly replace the original capital ; besides specie 
more than sufficient to defray all the expenses of the ship, up to her 
arrival in the United States; and, in addition, a clear and legitimate 
claim on the Spanish government for the original amount of cargo 
and damages. This entirely for account of Uie owners of the 
lleaver. 

For myself, hoving laid a foundation before the restoratioo of the 
ship, by a speculation to Valparaiso, I hud succeeded in acquiring a 
pr irh as the most succrssful accom ' ' "of my vi<-\vs, 

ni !, would not have proiluced. Tii > as in repcMi >i 

instances of my eventful life, have the circumstances, which I dc- 
plorj'd as being fraught with overwhelming calamity, proved to bo 
productive, in the end, of the greatest good fortune. And thus is 
nmnif«*«iled an instance, which teaches in the most emphatic manner, 
that, in the most distressing circumstances, we should never yield to 
despair, remrmlicring always, that 

" W*". l?noT^nt of ottrM>lrtM, 

r own harm*, whirh Um via* potran 
• •«r ir««t: fco (Ind w» proflt 
iij iMiiif, uf our prtytPTk," 

When on the point of braving Lima, fur the I'nitetl Stales, I re- 
ceived a letter from the owners of the Beaver, ackix>wlcdgiog the 



ARRIVE AT RIO JANEIRO. 383 

receipt of mine up to the 23d of August, and conveying a perennptory 
order, that I should lose no time " in bringing so long-pending a con- 
cern to a close, by a speedy return home," &c. The impatience 
manifested in this letter, to have returned to them an old and worn- 
out ship, that probably would not sell at New York for more than it 
would cost to deliver there, would have excited surprise, had they 
supposed she was engaged only in a moderately advantageous busi- 
ness ; but to give such an order, when informed by my letter above 
mentioned, that their ship was earning the enormous sum often thou- 
sand dollars per month, was perfectly incomprehensible, and seemed 
to indicate such suspicions that my intentions were not honest, as was 
very mortifying. A peremptory order, also, was unnecessary, mis- 
placed, and offensive. The voyage being one of my own suggesting 
and planning, it would have been as preposterous for the owner to 
give orders as it would for me to receive them ; and though, for 
form's sake only, I received instruction, yet it was well understood, 
that the entire and unshackled control of the voyage was vested in 
me ; nor would I have undertaken the enterprise on any other con- 
dition. 

Our passage to Rio Janeiro, where we arrived on the 14th of Au- 
gust, was remarkable neither for celerity nor tardiness ; for very 
good nor very bad weather. No sickness on board to distress, and 
no disorderly behavior to mar the general harmony and quiet on 
board. As soon as we had anchored, the usual number of custom- 
house guards and soldiers were put on board. The former, from the 
facilities they are expected to render to those who make short entries, 
are treated with great familiarity and attention by the masters of 
merchant ships, at whose table they always occupy seats, and some- 
times invite their comrades. As I had no favor to ask of them, other 
than such as common civility requires, which I was ready to recipro- 
cate, I saw no reason for submitting to the inconvenience of having 
them at my table, and therefore desired the steward to give them 
their meals in the lower cabin. I could not imagine that an objection 
could be made to such arrangement ; but we had scarcely taken our 
seats at the supper table, when one of the officers came into the 
round-house, and began to remonstrate against the want of respect 
and the indignity offered him, in not complying with the invariable 



884 SEVEXTU VOYAOE. 

practice of affmilting the officcm of the cufttomR to the Captain'** 
table. A* he was hiickward in leaving tlie room, which I desirt^d him 
to do, but continued talking in a high and angry tone, I arose, and, 
taking him by the collar, lod him to the docjr, and then pave him a 
iihove which laid him sprawling on the deck. The soldiers, who 
were on the forecastle, immediately came aft to assist their comrade, 
who was olready on his feet again, calling lustily to a boat, that was 
passing, to lake him on Ixmrd. This thry rompjiod with, and ho Ifft 
tjs, vowing vengeance. 

Th« next morning, as sfwui ns tho runs f)t ciuitirtto would a<iiTiit, I 
made the customary and rrqiiisile visit to the Intendcnte. lie was 
itting at his desk writing when I entered, and rose to receive me. 
t >n being informed who 1 was, he immediately alluded to the com- 
plaint of ill treatment on board my ship, by one of the officers of the 
customs. I then told him my story, as olready narrated. On hear- 
mg which, he admitted I had served the oflicer as he deserved ; and 
another, of less pretensions, was sent on board in his stead. Taking 
Iravr of the Infendente, with apparently no unfavorable imprr«vsions 
on luH j)art, from the circumstance of the otTiccr's denunciation, I 
tnmediatcly set alwut the ne^emary measures for collecting the pro- 
visions ond stores which were needed, and replenishing our stock of 
w«M>d and water. 

As the cargo I hod on lx>ard wos much better adapted to the mar- 
ket of (nbrnltar, thon to that of New York, I conceived it to be prob- 
oble, that 1 should find IcHers at Rio Janeiro, directing me to proceed 
there, but was ogreeobly disappointed at receiving only a duplicate 

• ' '' • ' olready mentioned, ordering me to make the best of my 

, with the least possible delay. 

" "d a week, ver>- ogreeobly, at Rio Janeiro, and ob- 

**'»•"«' , , " " '•"" ••• r ^^' "^nled for home on the '21st of Au- 

guiit, IRW. 

^2«' to New Vurk uati uncommonly pleasant, both for its 
:j«I the enjoyment of an uninterrupted course of fine wea- 
ther, but entirely destitute of any exciting occurrence lo rary or in- 

-^•wpe. When we had ornved 
' Hink, ond myself and ofRcori 

were exchanging mutu<> ilationt at the prospect of 00 sooq 



LETTER TO THE UNDERWRITERS. 385 

experiencing a cessation of our labors, I was astonished to perceive 
an opposite feeling to be prevalent with the crew. Instead of the 
animation and hilarity, always observable with seamen when on the 
point of arriving, ours were interchanging expressions of regret, that 
the voyage was about being brought to a close. This may, in part, 
be accounted for by their being foreigners, who, on arrival, could 
anticipate no kind greetings of relatives or friends. But it was an 
anomaly ; and inasmuch as it was an evidence of their happiness, 
and of a just appreciation of their usage on board, it was a circum- 
stance no less gratifying to me than remarkable in itself. 

The tenor of the letter I had received from the underwriters, was a 
theme on which my mind had been much occupied during the pas- 
sage. As it was not supposable I could feel any of that complacency 
toward them, which was constant and undeviating toward Messrs. 
Astor and Whitten, as a consequence of the confidence reposed in 
me, I determined to address to them a letter, expressive of my senti- 
ments and feeHngs, which should be presented before my interview 
with them. Accordingly, I prepared such a letter ; and, sending it 
by the pilot, it reached them several hours before I presented myself. 
I therein reminded them of their acknowledging the receipt of my 
letter from Lima, by which they were informed that their ship was 
earning the enormous freight of ten thousand dollars per month, and 
of the inference, very naturally suggested to my mind by the peremp- 
tory order for her immediate return, after being possessed of such 
information, namely, that there was an unjustifiable want of confi- 
dence, and an implied apprehension affecting my honor. In the dis- 
asters attending the early part of the voyage, perhaps there might be 
some apology for the first ; but I did not admit any whatever for the 
last ; which, I assured them, was the only instance of the kind dur- 
ing my life, and had been productive of pain and mortification to me, 
in proportion to its novelty, and the respectability of the source from 
which it originated. Such being the case, however I remarked on the 
regret I experienced at the time the order was received, that it had 
not been conveyed to me by a person authorized to relieve me from 
the charge of the ship, as I could have improved the time much more 
advantageously to myself had I been free from this incumbrance. 

Conceiving, however, that they could not be aware of the efforts 
33 



SBVENTH VOYAGE. 

I had used for the recovery of the ship, aod her employ- 
ment aflcrwnrds, it appeared to me to be no more than justice to my- 
self, that I »houI«I hUiU'. Io lliem u few particulars, an follows: 

First. Aiiiiil a liustilo people, and in llie endunince of great pri- 
votions, I remained by the property at Talcahuana, after every other 
individual, belonging to the ship, liad left her, and when its situation 
was so despemle, that I should ijave been justified, in the opinion of 
the world, in abandoning it. 

Second. For the recovery* of the ship, withoui i xj.' use- to mu 
owners, ihcy were indebted to exertions and enterprise, on my part, 
in performing a service for the Viceroy at the risk of my hfe, and 
which, by sujierbcding the necessity of employing counsel, was a sov- 
iog to the concern of probably ten thousand dollars. 

Third. While making these exertions it was obvious to me, that 
llicir success would Ik; prejudicial to my own interest, because, had I 
been freed from the incumbrance of the ship, my time could have 
been employed more advanlagoouHly for my private interest. 

Fourth. 1 totik upon myself the responsibility of disregarding the 
proclamation of blockade of the Chilian Vice-Admiral ; and, being 
the only ncutml who dared to do it, I had the almost exclusive busi- 
neta of the Peruvian coiist, and hence accumulated a pro|>crty for the 
owners in one year, by freighting, for which, 1 believe, the annaU of 
commerce can furnish no parallel. 

Fifth. While lying in the roads of Pisco, I suppreaaed a mutiny 
in the ahip's company, conj|M>8ed of a lawless set of foreigners, 
where no other seamen were procurable ; and where, had mv attempt 
(ailed, the property would most probably have been lost. 

Finally, I ackMowlidgj-d llmt I had received information as early 
as June, INPJ, that the pro|>rrty had been abandoned to the undcr- 
wrilera, and was conscious of being engaged io laboring for men who 
knew mo only by name ; and to whom my happincns or misery, my 
liring or dyuig, was of no other intcn si, than ns it w.is connected 
with the safety of their property. 

Having nl^» »»iformed them that inMii my yrar s e\( r.ion m their 
belwlf, I ha<l In.i. n for their account on boani the Beaver eight hun- 
dred and forty thousand four hundred and fifty -six pounds of cocoa ; 
Rn.l hi.l 1- si.ln* A balanre m specie of belwrr'n five and six ihouaaud 



REMARKS ON THE VOYAGE. 387 

dollars, I expressed to them my extreme regret, that this had not 
been done before their patience was exhausted, bat hoped forgiveness 
on the principle, that " to err is human, — to forgive, divine." 

This letter, as before observed, was forwarded by the pilot, and 
not knowing the persons to whom it was addressed, it was difficult to 
conjecture how it would be received. I was uncertain whether the 
President was not a choleric and arrogant young man, whose angry 
feelings would be roused by what he might imagine to be a want of 
due respect, and who would be prepared to resent it, or whether he 
was one who had reached the period of life, when the passions be- 
come subdued ; and who, entering into my feelings, would have the 
candor to acknowledge them natural, and receive me with cordiality. 
I presented myself, therefore, at the office, prepared for peace or war. 

The very agreeable surprise at the hearty and cordial reception I 
experienced from the venerable President, when introduced to him, 
quite overcame me. He rose to meet me, his frank and benign coun- 
tenance beaming with expressions of goodness and amiability ; in- 
spiring no other sentiments than those of respect, confidence, and 
veneration ; and, taking both my hands, he said to me, " I have re- 
ceived your letter. Sir. I honor your feelings. I thank you for 
what you have done for us ; although I am not authorized to promise 
you pecuniary remuneration, you will nevertheless have it." Having 
expressed to him, how much more gratifying to my feelings was the 
expression of such approbation and kindness, than any pecuniary re- 
ward, I left the office with emotions very diffi^rent from those with 
which I entered it. 

My voyage, I perceived, had made a considerable sensation with 
the mercantile community ; and I was complimented on its fortunate 
termination, by some whom I did, and others whom 1 did not know. 
Among the former, particularly, was an old and respectable merchant 
who had retired from business with an ample fortune ; one well 
versed in mercantile affaii's, but of a generous disposition. After the 
interchange of the customary salutations, on meeting, he observed to 
me, " You have done well for the office ; you have raised the value 
of its stock ten per cent. ; they cannot give you less than ten thou- 
sand dollars." Several of the stockholders, also, expressed their 
obligation to me. 



C liA I'i' K K 



A \ I 1 



— Return to New York — 0«-T\«r* r.lii<»^t m my 
— Deduct therefrom t — 

niMnn — Letter t . t] — 

-PS— Not :> 

f IllV Vm-. 



Borrleiiux mul Miulri<l — Interview wi; — Kcturn rUi l*arb 

Rii.l H.i^r.' - Ar! nP!..!i in n.-ton- I. . y Ute aid of a ller- 

• Ilnvium — Ucaiii oi Mr. bhaler— Effort to ob» 

. — R*tum to Ikwton. 




XiTJl^ tilt* satisfaction naturally rcsulling from 
l\\c nhiindnnt ovidencc I had received, that my 
y\ sei^'ices were duly appirciated, and dur 

time the f»hip was unlading, I nlxtontcd nr. .^.: .. 

-> week to visit my family in Manachiuetls. On 

my return, I OmuuI that an objection was made 

my charge of ten |K'r cent, on the nctt proceeds 

i^^^ of freights. I was nwaro that such a charge might 

! * 'il ; hut I was equally nv. ' ' it 

\^ • just pn>portion, %viih tli- r- 

vices I had rendered ; since, independently of obtain- 

ing n restoration of the ship, in the manner rela- 

''•d, I pn>cun*d all the freights without the intenention of a 

r. And when, for colle<Ming their amounts, I ^•as 

simes compelled to employ an agenf rather tlian detain 

the ship, the commission paid for such scnicc was not 
cif \hv ownr^rs. I' td the gradu.ntion of 

r: II made with any ■ to what they would 

have been, but for ibo •oisurr, they would luivc much exceeded the 
ten per cent, charged. 




■/A 



VISIT MY FAMILY. 



These circumstances were urged to the gentlemen interested, but 
were of no avail. Mr. Astor being unfortunately in Europe at this 
time, his agent, had he been disposed to act liberally, would have 
feared to evince a less exacting disposition, than the underwriters 
were doing ; hence recourse was had to the ordinary mode of settle^ 
ment, in like cases, that of arbitration ; the result of which was a de- 
duction of two and a half per cent, on my charge. 

It is not unusual for those to be dissatisfied, who are adjudged by 
arbitrators to be in error ; and it appeared to me, that I had abundant 
cause ; but I refrained from manifesting it to m}^ opponents at the 
time, because I trusted to the repeated (though unofficial) assurances 
of the President of the National Insurance Company, of pecuniary 
remuneration ; and presuming that this would, at least, be equal to 
the sum deducted from my commission, the cause of dissatisfaction, 
on my part, would be obviated. 

With such impressions, and having, as in duty bound, submitted to 
the award of the arbitrators, I left the city for my home, without 
notifying the underwriters of my intention ; as I wished to avoid 
the appearance of hurrying them on the question of the promised re- 
muneration, but never doubting that it would come in due time. A 
month, however, passed, and I heard nothing from them, and so a 
second month, when I could no longer doubt that they had found it 
convenient to forget me. 

The conviction, that the supposed honorable, liberal, high-minded 
men with whom I was thus brought in contact were capable of such 
conduct, was very painful to me. Indignant at such treatment, and 
mortified at being thus duped, I determ-ined to give them a word at 
parting expressive of those feelings. 

Accordingly, under date Lancaster 22d of December, 1820, I ad- 
dressed a letter to the President of the National Insurance Company, 
in which I referred to mine dated the 5th of October, enumerating 
the unusual services I had rendered the Company, in the recovery 
a,nd successful employment of the Beaver ; and further remarked, 
that if I had condescended to make invidious comparisons, I could 
have proved that what they considered to be an extra commission, 
bore no proportion to the extra earnings of the Beaver, over those of 
any other vessel then on the Peruvian coast ; and this, less from any 
33* 



890 SEVENTH VOYAUE. 

coDcurronco of fortunnle circumalunccs, than from a diflcrence io 
favor of my mnnngomonU I again reminded him of his promise of 
rf muiHmlion, nnd of its l>* ' ;il a bubscquent inlenicw ; 

and ex|irc«icd my belief t ha h were made with iho in- 

tention of throwing me off my guard, and of lulling me into security, 
the Utter to deceive me ; and that ihc huccess attending it, had been, 
I doubted not, gratilying to all who shared in the two and a half per 
cent, thus saved to the Company. This letter closed by the remark, 
•* tliat, Ijad I conducted your business with as lilile regard to the 
observance of the rule of * doing unto others as we would that ihcy 
should do unto uh/ os has been obscrvetl, in this instance, towards 
me, the result of the lieaver's voyage would have been vrrv dill*, rmt 
from what it is.** To this letter 1 never received a repl> 

It muHt occur to eve n>' one versed in mar • lU 

would Iwive been the conduct of Lloyd's in ibt 

not, of moHt of our own Insurance Companies. Such an occurrence 
is the more reiuarkahlr. fiDin its being in the commercial cmporiun^ 
where j*ucIi a spini i>r ^einrosily is prevalent, that there is scarcely 
a captain of a packet-ship, who, for merely conveying his passengers 
in safety across the Atlantic, has not been complimented with a piece 
of plate. 

But it would \h*. doing injustice to the vcncnible and ies|)cctable 
President of the Company not to acknowledge, timt, though of neces- 
■ity ho was the person to be ofTiciaUy addressed, I believe him to have 
been in' iid that, when ho 

made tli< ; 'd the directors 

would, as ho knew they ought, confinn it. There were ta'o of the 
dir« ■ 1 to me their disapproval of the v ' ' of 

my . t ihini, who said to me, that he . at 

being one of an association capable of such di^honorable conduct. 
But tliern wn- ' ' n! among the directors, whose great wealth 

gnvc huu ;i i iifluencc in the ntfairs of the orticc. The 

greater tlrf.nMiro pnid to his opinions, than to those of any of his 
associatm, ^nn vrry pr>rrcptiblu ; and it is probable, that the Presi- 
dent taking it for L'r.intrd. that a liandsome compensation could not 
honomhly lie wnl. me of it, beforu 

ronnulting him, m. ijlcnlion. How- 



OBSERVATIONS ON CORPORATIONS. 391 

ever it niay have been, it is a fact, that all I received was the un- 
official thanks of the President, and that I suffered a deduction of two 
and a half per cent, from my commission. 

That corporations have no souls, and that men in a corporate 
capacity are often guilty of acts of injustice and oppression, such as, 
individually, they would be ashamed of, is an old observation, the 
truth of which, almost every day's experience confirms. But com- 
ments on so clear a case are superfluous ; and I will only add the 
curious fact, that almost simultaneously with the discovery that ten 
per cent, was too much for the laborious, hazardous, and eminently 
successful services I had rendered the Company, one of the directors 
of this very Company did not perceive, that ten per cent, was too 
much for merely paying the disbursements on the building and equip- 
ment of the Greek frigates.* 

More than twenty years have elapsed since the occurrence of the 
transactions above narrated, and those of the actors, who have not 
passed off the stage, may be surprised at a recurrence to affairs which 
probably have long since been forgotten by them. This, they may 
be assured, has not arisen from any hostile or unkind feeling toward 
them, but from the circumstance alone of perceiving that my nar- 
rative would be incomplete if they were omitted. 

The voyage, just narrated in the Beaver, was the close of a series 
of voyages to most parts of the habitable globe, comprising a period 
of twenty-four years, in various kinds of craft, from the boat of 
twenty-five tons, to an Indiaman of one thousand tons ; and on the 
most laborious and hazardous enterprises, as will have been seen. 
But a remarkable fact, which is worthy of note, may have escaped 
the observation of the reader, that during that long period, some por- 
tion of which was passed in the most sickly climates of the globe, I 
never lost but three men, — two by fever, and the third by a fall 



* A letter which I received at this time, from the house of Tooke, Eobinson & Co., 
of London, places in strong relief their conduct when compared with those with whom 
I had recently been brought in contact. Its object was to infomi me of their holding 
a hundred and twenty pounds at my disposal, being principal and mterest on a sum 
arising from a mistake accidentally discovered, in accounts relative to transactions in 
wheat eight or ten years previous ; and which, they remark, I must consider some- 
what in the light of a prize in the lottery, This was paid to my draft at sight. 



I<1>*- SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

IVom 0)0 mast-head. Allljouj;h 1 huve repeatedly been five months 
on a single passage, I have never been under the necessity of putting 
my men on nllownnce of provisionH or water ; and to this circum- 
Klance, combined with guarding ihcm against unnecessar}* fatigue 
and exposure, I was probably indebted not only for the happiness of 
escaping that scourge to seamen on long voyages, the scurvy, but 
almost all other kinds of sickness. 

Although tJic private affairs of an individual may generally be con- 
.Nidercd to possess little attraction for the public, yet, to those who 
have followed me thus far, 1 have supposed that some details of my 
Nuhsrquont course might not be destitute of interest. 

Acting in opposition to the maxim, that ** a bird in tiir iianu is 
worth two in the bush," I was destined again to see swept off, in less 
than a year after my return, the greater part of my hard earnings. 
A most unfortunate enterprise to (iibraltar ; incompetent, selfish, and 
careless agents ; and, more than either, a most shameful abuse of the 
confidence I had placed in the conmiercial house at Lima, with which 
1 had been so long doing business, (Abadia «5c Arismendi,) were tJio 
causes of these misfortunes. Soon after these reverses were known 
to my acquaintance in Boston, I met my highly esteemed friend, 
(leorge Cabot, Esq., who, in his happy manner, remarked to me,*'lhal 
I had cut a great deal of hay, but had got it in very badly." Alas ! 
1 felt most sensibly, that it was too true. The information of the rev- 
olution in IVru, of the consequent confusion in the commerce of Li- 
ma, of the breaking up of the house of Abadia A: Arismendi, and of 
the escape of the latter, with a large amount in silver, in an Ameri- 
can brig for Manilla, was received here not many months aOer my 
arrival. 

D.irn.' ihc Vice-Regal Govcmment, no stranger of respectability 
! Lima w ilhout enjoying the hospitality of Don Pedro Aba- 
dui. ill WM«« V hospitable, urlmnc, and friendly; but 

although of suj uion, and extensive intercourse with man- 

kind, ho was bigotc«I and priest-ridden. His talents and education, 
"' ' ' ' '•*' t'** his iM'ing ngrnl at Lima of the 

I ' brother's lieing about that time one of 

the cabmet ol King Fcnlmand ; all combined to give him an influ- 
ence with llio Viceroy and the Cabildo, unsurpaned by any other 



ABADIA AND ARISMENDI. 393 

individual in the kingdom. This influence was often exerted for my 
advantage, or rather for that of the owners of the Beaver ; advanta- 
ges, however, which were reciprocal ; as it enabled me to throw into 
their hands many valuable consignments. It was Abadia who gave to 
the house the character of respectability which it possessed, and 
which was such as to inspire a degree of confidence, which secured 
to it, almost exelusively, the foreign business of the place. 

Don Jose de Arismendi was the active, business man of the house ; 
a man who possessed the capacity of accomplishing much and varied 
business, with a degree of despatch and adroitness very rarely seen 
among his countrymen. While present with him, he would conduct 
the business with which he was charged, on fair, honorable, and lib- 
eral principles. By this semblance of honesty and fair dealing, I was 
deceived, and was induced to confide in the house to an extent which 
I discovered, when too late, was entirely unmerited, and which had 
been attended with ruinous consequences to me. It was late in my 
transactions with the house before I discovered the peculiarty of the 
connection. Abadia's relation to the Philipine Company did not ad- 
mit of his engaging in a private mercantile house ; hence, while a 
sharer in its advantages he was exempt from its responsibilities ; and 
hence all the accounts and business documents were signed exclusive- 
ly by Arismendi. Had this circumstance been known, as it ought to 
have been, it would have tended greatly to diminish the general con- 
fidence in the house. 

Late in the summer of the year 1823, mention was made in one of 
the Boston newspapers of the arrival of Senor Arismendi at Ham- 
burgh, in the Roscoe of Salem, freighted with a rich cargo for his 
account from Manilla. As I had no doubt of this being my quondam 
friend, I flattered myself that, starting immediately, and circumstances 
favoring, I might reach there before he should have left. Accord- 
ingly, in forty-eight hours after receiving the information, I was on my 
way to New York ; and in thirty days more, I arrived at Hamburgh, 
via Liverpool, London, Harwich, and Cuxhaven. But I had the mor- 
tification to find that my labor was in vain. Arismendi had been 
landed at teneriffe ; and the cargo of the Roscoe, yet unsold, was so 
well covered in the name of a Senor Zavaleta, a former clerk of Aris- 
mendi, who swore the property belonged exclusively to himself, that 



yyj SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

it could not be tuuched. After passing four days at lluinburghf and 
with the aid of one of the most intelligent merchants of that city, 
being unable to eflect any thing, I set out on my return by the same 
route I had come. Fortunately I arrived at Liverpool just as Uie 
]iackct I came in was hauling out of dock on her return, and, cm- 
btirking on board, I arrived at New York on the seventy-third day 
after leaving it. 

Towards autumn of the following year, 1824, 1 received informa- 
tion of the arrival of Scnor Abadia at St. Thomas, and immediately 
wrote hini on the sphjoct of my demand. A copy of my letter to 
him will best explain my views, as follows. 

" Lancastek, 21sl SepL 1824. 

'• Do.N PkDRO AHADIA, 

'' Dear Sir, — By a letter from our mutual friend, Mr. C, I learn 
that nficr many perils and some pecuniary embarrassment, you have 
arrived siife at St. Thomas. On this event permit mc to offer you 
my most hearty congratulations. It was reported last year, that you 
iwul arrived at Porto Rico ; and knowing that you possessed a cortcc 
plantation there, I thought this very probable, and directed several 
letters to you there, some one of which you may have received. 
These letters were written with the hope of inducing you to use some 
elforl, or point out some means, by which the confidence 1 placed in 
the honor and integrity of your house should not be productive of my 
niin. Among various other items, you must be aware that a sum of 
fifteen thousand dollars, charged me in account, as shipped for me, 
on bf»ard the Macedonian, and for which I hold duplicate acknowl- 
edgments of Arismrndi, was never shipped. I will not attempt to 
describe to you my astonishment, when, aOer a great lapse of time, 
1 received letters from Captain Smith informing me that I had been 
deceived, and that no property had been shipped with him, either for 
my account, or that of your house. Inde|>endent of other sums, this 
anintint, with five years* ^iiierrst, will make an aggregate of upwards 
• •r8'J0,()(K), OS one item now due me from your house. 

" Consider, my dear Sii, that this is the fruil of ver)* hard labor, in 
t! fciwion ; and that on the possession or loss of it, 

i , ^ f case and comfi)rt with my family, or protract- 

I -.encc, care, and toil, for the rcst of my life. 



LETTER TO ABADIA. 395 

" You informed Mr. C. that Arismendi saved about three hundred 
thousand dollars. I had heard of his arrival at Manilla, with a large 
property, two years since ; that, last year, he had there chartered the 
brig Roscoe, and with this property had arrived at Hamburgh. In 
forty-eight hours after receiving this intelligence, I was on my way 
to Liverpool, where I arrived early in October, and proceeded imme- 
diately to London, caused inquiries to be made of the Spanish houses 
there if they knew anything of Arismendi. They referred me to the 
London Times of the 7th of October, (only two days previous to my 
arrival,) in which appeared the advertisement which I send to Mr. 0. 
to be forwarded by him to you. This advertisement was sufficient 
to account for Arismendi's not venturing up channel, to accompany 
his property to Hamburgh. I therefore proceeded to Hamburgh, 
where I found an amount of sixty to seventy thousand dollars of the 
cargo of the Roscoe, in possession of a Mr. Zavaleta, in whose name 
it had been shipped, at Manilla, who had accompanied it, and who 
solemnly swore that the property belonged to him. Arismendi had 
been landed at Teneriffe. I had then, and have now, no doubt that 
this property belonged to Arismendi ; but, unfortunately, I could pro- 
duce no proof of it ; and therefore my efforts were of no avail. I 
wrote to a house at Teneriffe on the subject, and received for answer 
that Arismendi remained there only two or three days, and then em- 
barked for the continent. This is the last I have heard of his move- 
ments. He told Zavaleta he should assume some other name. In 
this case I do not perceive how you can discover where he is, or how 
he can receive the information that you are at St. Thomas. 

" I presume from the tenor of your letter to C. that you have no 
amount of property with you, and that, not less on your own account 
than from a desire which I believe you to possess, of doing 
justice to your creditors, you will leave no effort untried to discover 
the retreat of Arismendi, and to get that property from him, which, 
while withheld from the creditors of the house, will (however unde- 
served) be considered not less dishonorable to the name and charac- 
ter of Abadia than to that of Arismendi. If there should be any such 
chance for the recovery of the property as would justify the expense 
of my meeting you at St. Thomas, and there taking your directions 
and power to settle with Arismendi in Europe, I would not hesitate to 



f?f)f> 5KVK.MH VO^ACit. 

mhnrk on such an pxpcdition ; indeed, I would even proceed to Lima, 
1 you had any properly remaining ihcrc, which there was a fair 
hancc of recovering. It will afTord mo much pleasure to hear from 
you," A:c. &c. 

Whether this letter was ever received by Abadia, I have never 
l)een informed. Scarcely two months had elapsed after writing the 
above letter, when I received such information as could be depended 
on, that Arismcndi was ut the paternal residence, at Zarauz in Gui- 
puzcoa. I had no hesitation, therefore, in embarking at New York, 
in December, in a brig bound for Bordeaux. Arriving there some 
time in the month of January, 1825, I proceeded, via Bayonne, Pas- 
sage, and Yrun, to San Sebastian. From hence a messenger was 
despatched to Zarauz, who soon returned with information that Aris- 
mendi was at Madrid; and with the name of the street where he 
rosirl«-(l. Taking the Diligence, therefore, to Madrid, I had the good 
r»rtiine to arrive there without being robbed. The next day 1 suc- 
<>cded, not without much difiiculty, in finding the person of whom 1 
Ijful l)ccMi so long in pursuit, and was actually once more in his pres- 
rnce. Had an apparition appeared to him, he could not have exhib- 
ited greater evidence of astonishment and dismay ; nor was it until 
tlw f'X[Mrrition of some minutes, that he was able to convcr il- 

ly. I nr»)rtunntcly it required but little conversation to n- .at 

my efTorin would prove to l)e unavailing, and that I should recover 
nothing. 

Arismcndi had succeeded in obtaining what is termed a morotoria, 
vhich is a security against molestation of person or pro|K?rty, by cred- 
itors, for a certain peri«>d. Flis was for four years. He begged me 
not to press my demand ; declared he had the control of no proper* 
ty, and the wn-tclM'«lly mean, dirty and ol»scure lodgings he occupied 
would confirm the truth of such assertion, if made by other than a 
vcrj' cunninff man. But I had no belief in it, and therefore did not 
,!..,'- (t"- ■ ■ ■ ■■'h 

hun, au'l ' ' , ■■ ^ ■ '■^* 

Might at M '^ existed not a hope of obtaining anything. 

A. ■. ' ' * d, ina 

degr. . ... "*y ^"^ 

the recovery of a large amount of property, alleged to be due lum 



RETURN TO AMERICA. S97 

from sundry merchants in the United States. From a cursory exam- 
ination of these claims, I was induced to believe that a considerable 
sum might be recovered, and I therefore flattered myself that there 
existed some chance of indemnification for my trouble and persever- 
ance. 

Soon becoming reconciled to my disappointment, and burying it in 
the oblivion which screened such a multitude of its predecessors, I 
passed the time very agreeably at Madrid, in visiting the numerous 
objects of interest with which that city abounds, the result of which 
was given to the public soon after my return, through the medium of 
the Literary Gazette, of Boston, edited by J. G. Carter, Esq. 

The ci-devant Viceroy of Peru (Pezuela,) hearing of my being in 
the city, sent a messenger to me with an invitation to his house. I 
went, therefore, in conformity, and was received by him with the 
cordiality of an old friend. He inquired how my various mercantile 
operations had resulted, and evinced an interest in my affairs which 
was as pleasing as it was unexpected. His inquiries for Captain Bid- 
die, and his expressions of friendship for him were made with an 
earnestness of manner which left no .doubt of the esteem and regard 
he cherished for that distinguished officer. To the hospitality of our 
worthy minister, Mr. Nelson, and to that of the family of Mr. Rich, I 
was indebted for the most agreeable social hours I passed at Madrid. 

Taking leave of my kind friends at Madrid,! returned to Bordeaux 
by the same route I had passed over before, excepting not revisiting 
San Sebastian. On ascertaining at Bordeaux that no opportunity 
would occur for the United States for some weeks, I took the Dili- 
gence for Paris, where, after passing a week, I proceeded to Havre, 
and took passage in the Edward Quesnel for New York, and arrived 
there in the month of April, 1825. 

The agency for the collection of another's debts is an unaccepta- 
ble service, more especially when they are of a description suscepti- 
ble of controversy ; but in this instance there existed more than the 
usual inducement, for I hoped thus to cancel the debt due me. Up- 
wards of one hundred thousand dollars were claimed of a Boston 
merchant, the justice of which he denied, and refused to pay any part 
of it. A demand on a merchant at Baltimore, for a much less amount, 
was equally unsuccessful. The only debt acknowledged by the sig- 
34 



396 SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

nature of the debtor, was llmt of an old and intimate friend, who 
could ill spare the money, and from whom it was very painful to me 
to exact it ; but forbearance would have been a dereliction of duty, 
and would have Ixjen no otherwise serviceable to my friend, than to 
defer the time of payment. Accordingly, I recovered from him an 
amount about equal to one fourth of that due me from Arismcndi. 

When I was convinced that nothing more was recoverable under 
the power of attorney, I wrote to Arismendi, under the assumed name 
of Don Fausto Corral, as agreed on, to this eflccl ; assuring him of 
my conviction that he would never obtain any thing through the in- 
termediation of an agent, and that the only course which presented 
any prospect of success, was to come to this country and prosecute 
the business in person. This, however, I did not believe he would do, 
from the circumstance tliat there were large demands against his 
house, in this country. 

Nearly two years elapsed after writing this letter, and I heard 
nothing from him, when suddenly, and without any previous intima- 
tion to anybody, he made his appearance in Boston. lie was accom- 
panied by a nephew, who, like himself, spoke no other than the Span- 
ish language. They wcrrc in very obscure and ordinary lodgings, 
kept by a foreigner, which circumstance, combined with their having 
brought no letters, was evidence of their desire of concealment 

AOer the usual salutations on so unexpected a meeting had passed, 
I rendered to him nn account of my stewardship, of which he had 
previously been informed by my letter. I now felt a security, and' 
consequent exultation, in the recovery of my property, which I bad 
not experienced lieforc ; indeed I perceived no way in which it could 
Iks eluded ; but the short-sightedness of man is proverbial, and scarce 
a day pnns<>s that it is not self-evident. As Arismcndi was indebted 
ton thousand dollars for short freight on a ship, belonging equally to 
myself an«l to a mcrrhanl in Providence, I did not imagine any mis- 
chief could arise from informing him of it, though the result but too 
clearly proved, that this information had better been delayed. With 
ill-judged impctunsiity he sent the papers, proving the debt, to a law- 
yer of this city, with dirrrUons to iantitute a suit, notifying me, at 
the same time, of his liaving done so. Perceiving at oooe the mischief 
that would result from prccipilmis actioD, I went to the lawyer and 



ESCAPE OF AEISMEJXDI. 399 

persuaded him to wait a week, with a view of giving Arisniendi time 
to ascertain the prospect of recovering the property of which he was 
in pursuit. This engagement, owing to some mistake, was not ad- 
hered to, the writ was issued, and for want of bail he was imprison- 
ed ; thus taking from him the power of making those collections on 
which mainly depended the chance of obtaining our payment. It was 
literally destroying the bird that was destined to lay the golden egg. 

This error being manifest, one of the partners of the Providence 
house came on, in the hope of retrieving it, and in this view we unit- 
ed in an act which rendered the matter worse, that of releasing him 
from prison, on his promise of making a settlement ; for it soon be- 
came evident that his object was only to be emancipated, and that he 
had no intention of fulfilling his engagement. On being satisfied of 
this, recourse was had to the institution of a new suit, but before the 
writ could be served on him, he absconded. 

This act, no less disgraceful on the part of the assistant, than of 
the principal, was effected by the aid of a Boston merchant, who en- 
abled him to elude the vigilance of the ofBcer charged with the arrest, 
concealed him until a vessel for St. Thomas was ready to sail, and 
then conveyed, or caused him to be conveyed, on board, thus assist- 
ing a fraudulent debtor to flee from justice, and preventing honest 
creditors from recovering their just demands. 

In judging of actions we often err, and are guilty of injustice to- 
wards the individual whose motives we undertake to scan ; but in 
this instance there can be no mistake. As there existed no personal 
hostility or animosity to me, it was palpably no other than sordid in- 
terest. Arismendi crossed the Atlantic for the purpose, principally, 
of collecting a debt of upwards of one hundred thousand dollars, 
alleged to be due him from this Boston merchant. 

On the presumption that it was desirable to avoid payment, or even 
to avert a troublesome course of litigation, nothing could possibly 
have happened more opportune, than the coincidence of circumstan- 
ces, by which he became the confident, the adviser, and the liberator 
of Arismendi, ostensibly to screen him from the rigors of a prison, 
but really to get rid of the payment of the debt ; for, once away, he 
knew there was a moral certainty he would not return to prosecute 
in person, and it was apparent it could not be done by an agent, 



4(K) SEVENTH VOYAGE. 

without incurring the risk of the property's being trusteed. But every 
single act of a man's life, when seen from a right point of view, is 
found to be in hnrmony with his whole character. 

It was very evident that 1 must relinquish all hope of ever recov- 
ering this debt, or any part of it ; a debt so considerable, that its loss 
was productive of serious inconvenience to me ; a debt, for the re- 
covery of which I had made two voyages to Europe ; had induced 
the debtor to come to this country, and when in possession of the 
moans of compoliing pnymont, by a concurrence of unfortunate cir- 
cumstances, already detailed, missed profiting by those means; thus 
truly verifying the adage of " many a slip between the cup and the 
lip." 

An uninterrupted correspondence with my friend Shaler, during hia 
long residence at Algiers, as Consul General of the United States, 
kept alive that friendship whose orij^in was of so remote a date. Af- 
ter his return to the United Stales, being appointed to the Consulate 
of Havana, he invited me to accompany him, on terms of perfect 
equality in everything essential. Taking charge of the Consulate in 
October, 1829, we remained there together until the melancholy oc- 
currence of his death by cholera, in March, 1833, when it mged at 
Havana with unparalleled fatality. In the death of Mr. Shaler, the 
country lost a most excellent and patriotic citizen ; the government a 
devoted and highly talented officer ; and myself a long-tried and 
deeply lamented friend. 

The evidence of estimation evinced by a long list of the most re- 
spectable among the merchants and others of Boston, Salem, Port- 
land, and Havana, to procure my appointment to the vacant con- 

ilate, although unsuccessful, was very flattering, and excited my 
jiK.st L'ra'cful acknowledgments. 



CONCLUSION. 



fBflBMIB is a propensity in men to inquire into the 
affairs of their neighbors, to discover the state of 
their fortune, to find out how much was made by- 
one operation, and how much was lost by another. 
This propensity, which is generally stronger in small 
than in large communities, is very often the offspring 
of impertinent curiosity ; but it may also, in many 
persons, be the result of kind feelings, and a sym- 
pathy in the good or bad fortune of the individual. On 
the presumption that some of this latter class, who may 
have perused my narrative, may be gratified with a 
summary of my gains and losses, and the final result of 
my labors, I am induced to close my book with such a 
sketch, aware of subjecting myself to animadversion ; but too 
near the close of life to be affected by it. 

It will have been seen that the amount of my outfit from 
France was four thousand five hundred dollars, of which two thou- 
sand were mine and two thousand five hundred belonged to others, 
and were shipped on half profits. This produced at the Cape of Good 
Hope eleven thousand dollars, which were invested in an enterprise 
from China to the Northwest Coast of America, together with seven 
thousand dollars belonging to some friends, making the cost of the 
expedition to the Northwest Coast, for vessel and cargo, eighteen 
thousand dollars. The furs procured there sold in China for sixty 
thousand dollars, about one third of which was shipped in teas to the 
United States, and the other two thirds taken to Calcutta, the Isle of 
France, and Denmark. 

The profits on the cargo from the Isle of France to Denmark were 
34* 401 




402 CONCLUSION. 

great. In uboui two years from ihe lime of sailing on roy Northwest 
voyage, the eighteen thousand dollars cost yielded in Denmark and 
the United Stales upwards of one hundred thousand dollars ; and the 
two thoujMind dollars, the amount of my property on leaving Europe, 
together with my commissions, wages, and half proOts, amounted to 
about forty-five thousand dollars. 

Such a brilliant result to my enterprise may be supposed to have 
been very gratifying to me, if on no other consideration than the ac- 
<|iiisition of independence ; but it was vastly more so, from the cir- 
cumstance of its enabling me to make comfortable and happy the 
litter years of a father, who, with a young family, was feeling the 
pressure of poverty ; of aged uncles and aunts, who had seen better 
(lays, and whose kindness to mc required that I should leave nothing 
undone, w liich was in my power to do, to promote their happiness. 

From my next enterprise in the Lelia Byrd, which was of three 
cars' duration, I returned to Boston in the spring of the year 1804, 
\i\ the ship Alert, having on board an invoice of silks of about fifty 
thousand dollars, belonging equally to my friend Shaler and myself. 
The result of this, with that of my former voyage, and my interest 
II the Lelia Byrd under the direction of Mr. Shaler, would amount 
t(» about seventy ihcnisand dollars, which 1 possessed in th** year 
1S(V4, clear of debt. 

I then emimrked in romincrcc to tnc i wtrn; of my abiluv ; ^^ii." uw 
(ortunatc, and by the time my friend Shaler returned to the United 
States in 1H07, having made a dimistrous voyage, tins, with my own 
oprrntions, had diminished our capital two thirds, leaving us only about 
twenty thounnnd dollum each, or forty thousand dollars ; all of which 
won cmlMirkod in the A?»pa.Hia, under my command. The total loss 
«.f this property by the confiscation of the Tclcmaco at Tortola, aod 
the disaster which occurred to the Aspasia, is fully detailed. I was 
now ruined, with a family to support, and with no other way of doing 
It than by pursuing a pnifession, w hich had every doy become m^re 
hazardous by the increasing depredations of the British cniisr; 

Yrar* r<»ll«'d on, during whirh I was an exile from my family, t«Mi- 
ing for their nupport, and for the acquisition of independence. My 
voyages to Africa, to England, and to Holland during the embargo, 
wve BiioceMftil. By my voyage to Naples, alibougb veMel and cargo 



CONCLUSION. 403 

were seized and confiscated, I made sixteen thousand dollars. In 
the William, which was wrecked on Jutland, I made a profit of five 
thousand dollars. These sums were embarked in a voyage from Co- 
penhagen to Riga and back, which was performed successfully. 
Afterwards I was interested in several cargoes of wheat from Holstein 
to England, which yielded a handsome profit ; so that I had once 
more a capital of about thirty-five thousand dollars. This was em- 
barked in an adventure hwm England, destined for Hamburgh, and 
which, owing to the defeat of Napoleon in Eussia, turned out nearly 
a total loss. 

Returning home penniless, I had to begin the world again. The 
peace between the United States and England having been ratified 
soon after my return, and the then pacification of the world render- 
ing commercial adventures little productive, I gained only five thou- 
sand dollars as master and supercargo of a ship to Batavia. By my 
next voyage in the Beaver, in the years 1817 to 1820, I made sev- 
enty-five thousand dollars ; and after my return, in an adventure to 
Peru, in the ship Tea-Plant, with Messrs. LeRoy and Bayard, I made 
eight thousand dollars. The greater portion of the amount acquired 
in the Beaver was swept off as detailed, before it reached the United 
States, and most of the remainder in an unfortunate voyage to China. 
On my return from Havana, in 1835, I had yet about sixteen thou- 
sand dollars. This was all swallowed up in an unsuccessful specu- 
lation in 1836, and I was thus a third time left destitute. 

On making an estimate of my losses of the twenty years between 
1805 and 1825, I find their aggregate amount to exceed two hundred 
thousand dollars, although I never possessed at any one time a sura 
exceeding eighty thousand dollars. Under such losses, I have been 
supported by the consoling reflection, that they have been exclusively 
mine, and that it is not in the power of any individual to say, with 
truth, that I have injured him to the amount of a dollar. 

With a small annual sum from the Neapolitan indemnity, I have 
been enabled to support myself, till this was on the point of ceasing 
by the cancelling of that debt ; v, hen I was so fortunate as to obtain 
an office in the custom-house, the duties of which I hope to perform 
faithfully, and in peace, during the few remaining years, or months, 
or days, which may be allotted me on earth. 



A 1' 1' i: .\ u 1 X . 



WILLIAM SIIALEH TO R. J. CLENTLAKD. 
I>CAB Cleveland : 




ILlli^T Macao the 14ih February, 1804, clear- 
ed tlic Lrma the IHth, and, after a hard and tedi- 
ous passage, I cleared the Formosa passage the 7lh 
of March. We had the most intolerably bad 
weather, during our passage, that I ever cxpcricn- 
cod ; pale succeeded gnle with torrents of rain, 
and we found no steady weather until we came into 
>i liigh latitude. 

The Imd Biate of our foremast, and being destitute of 
Sparc spars of any kind, determined me to give up all 
tiioughts of going to the southward ; and, as it appeared 
ncccsniiry to gain a high latitude to get to the eastward 
at ail, I resolved to procc cd to Columbia River to get a new 
mast ond oth(*r spars. \Vc had scvcml persons on board 
who had Ijcen there. From what they told me, and Van- 
rouvrr'h drscriplion of that ontranrc, I was led to .suppose it the rood 
eligible rtlacht tlmt we could make. Nolwiilislanding all these plau- 
sible considerations, it proved rather an unhappy resolution, as wilt be 
Hcrn. On the first day of May we arrived olfihe river, ran close in, 
and found the breakers so vrr>' heavy on the bar that it was impos- 
sible to go over ; we hauled off again, and lay off and on until the 8(h, 
it blowing the groatatt part of the time very hard, and the heaTiest 



APPENDIX. 405 

swell running from the westward that I ever experienced. Whenever 
the weather moderated sufficiently, I ran in, and always found the 
bar impracticable. Our wood and water began to run short, and, 
however cruel the disappointment, I was obliged to bear away and 
seek a more practicable port. I am convinced, from what 1 have 
seen, that a ship may often lay off and on Columbia river a month, 
without finding a smooth time to go in. 

Trinity was the next place to this, where there was a probability of 
getting spars, &c. There we arrived the 11th, and found what we 
wanted, that is, spars, wood and water, — the former were at such a 
distance from the shore, as to render it very difficult procuring them. 
We went to work, however, and cut down a very fine stick and got it 
roughed out, and I was in great hopes of having a good foremast on 
board soon ; but fortune had ordered it otherwise. The Indians were 
at first very friendly. We treated them well, and, to inspire them 
with confidence, and to conciliate their friendship, I went several 
times ashore, unarmed, to their village. Prompted, I believe, by the 
devil himself, they all at once became as hostile as they were friend- 
ly at first, and attacked our boat one morning a watering, and took 
four casks, which they immediately stove for the hoops. Our peo- 
ple's arms had got wet in landing, and they were glad to escape with 
their lives. I seized a canoe that was alongside, when they returned, 
and made four prisoners, hoping that while they were in our posses- 
sion they would not molest us any more. I then sent both boats well 
armed ; the one lay to an anchor just in the edge of the surf, while 
some went ashore to fill the casks in the other. The Indians had got 
a reinforcement, and, just as the casks were filled, about a hundred 
ran down, armed with long spears, and firing a cloud of arrows as 
they advanced. We fired several vollies on them from the longboat, 
which the savages stood with great resolution, and did not retreat till 
several of them dropped. . The next day we took possession of a rock 
that commanded not only the beach, but their village. Here I placed 
Mr. Hudson with three men, and completed our wood and water un- 
der their protection. This manoeuvre entirely disconcerted the sav- 
ages, and they abandoned their village and retired to the woods. 

Nothing was now wanting but the spars ; but to get them to the 
water-side required the united labor of all our crew. It would besides 



10(> APPENDIX. 

take up several days, niul of course give tlio savages, who had now 
collected in great numbers, time and opportunity to attack us to ad- 
vantage. Under these circumstances, I thought it most prudent not 
t(j attempt it. Thus ended the cam{Miign of Trinity, and we left the 
harbor the 18lh, with a stock of water, some wood, and about fifty 
prime skins, sea-otter. 

I next determined to look at the IJodega ; but when wc arrived 
there it blew very hard, and there was so little appearance of shelter, 
and the country round bore so unpromising an aspect, that I did not 
think it advisable to anchor there. In latitude 35° 20 I hauled in for 
a smoke ashore ; some Indians came off, and informed me that there 
was a rich Mission in the neighborhood, where there was plenty of 
skins, and nn abundance of every thing. One of them also informed 
me that there was good anchorage a little to leeward. I ran by his 
directions, and found one of the most spacious bays that we have yet 
seen, where no ship had ever anchored before us. Here I found a 
plenty of wood and water, and I purchased as much provision of eve- 
ry kind as I could stow, from the Mission. From thence I proceed- 
ed down the coast under easy sail, examining every creek and cor- 
ner, and as yet have had no reason to regret my investigation, as by 
this time, when I am leaving San Juan, 1 have collected about eight 
hundred skins. I have met with no misfortune except the loss of an 
anchor, and I have got a piece of timlwr to fish my foremast, which 
I intend to <lo the first gcKxl opportunity. 

The resources of California are much more considerable than I 
ever thought they were. On the upper coast, wood and water are 
plenty, and all kinds of provisions in the greatest abundance. I think 
I never saw finer beef than we put up there. They lake skins now 
at all the upper Missions, and I have little doubt of making a good 
voyage, by collorting them, in two seasons, if every other resource 
should fail ; the Indians above are verj' intelligent ; they come on 
board every where when a ship appears ; and, by writing ashore, I 
always get ever)* necessary information. There will probably be no 
ship but oun on the coast this coming season, and of course our pros- 
pect is good. 

Every thing now conspires to leave me no choice of going any 
where but up the Gulf, from whence, if I am succeasful, I may run 



APPENDIX. 407 

this coast down again, and be in Canton this season ; but all this is 
too uncertain to speculate upon. I have found the Franciscans a bru- 
tal set ; but their cupidity is sufficient to effect everything I want of 
them. They will not give me any information respecting peace or 
war, but I shall learn all that from their more polite brethren below. 
I leave this with father Miguel, to be forwarded to Canton by the first 
ship that may touch here. 

Very truly yours, 

WM. SHALER. 
R. J. Cleveland, Esq. 



